Oscar Piastri Fires The Opening Salvo At Qatar

While it would be absolutely unfair and a bit weird, truth be told, to suggest that Oscar Piastri winning the Qatar sprint race is like a bit of an out of syllabus question appearing in front of the remainder of the drivers to catch them by surprise, the event did offer a great insight about the young Australian.

And it’s quite simply, the fact that just when his teammate Lando Norris, currently second on the Driver’s Standings would have expected to dominate the proceedings having clinched pole position at the Losail International circuit, it was the driver in the other McLaren that came forward and stepped up the show.

Even as it was Lando Norris who had set the fastest time at Qatar sprint qualifying, setting a belter at 1:21:012, he found his teammate emerge victorious come the sprint race battle.

And it wasn’t even that much of a fight for Oscar Piastri to steal the show, as one learned, for upon crossing the checkered flag, it was the young Aussie who emerged clear of Norris by a little over a tenth. Which given a track where there would’ve certainly been a lot of pressure on the tyres, was job well done.

However, having said that, the Oscar Piastri charge, that on pure (sprint) race pace was way better than even the two Ferraris, does (to an extent) exacerbate the woes for Lando Norris and it’s quite simply the fact that the able British driver is likely not going to have it any easy come the race day.

Quite frankly, the sheer confidence that someone like Oscar Piastri contends with and often with astonishing ease, also points to his level of maturity and ability once placed inside the cockpit of an F1 car.

Earlier this year, it was an Oscar Piastri show that stole the limelight at Hungary. However, it happened thanks to an evident team-play with Norris playing his part to assist his fast teammate.

But just when the critics may have suspected that Piastri prevailing at the Hungaroring was really nothing else but some flash-in-the-pan occurrence, the smiling Aussie went ahead and did a brilliant job at Baku, the home to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Making that stellar move on Leclerc, who took his fourth consecutive pole at the venue, enabled the Australian driver to carve his credentials strongly on the destiny of a contest that makes it so hard for drivers to overtake.

And now, with a brilliant win at the Losail International circuit, the focused Australian driver has reminded not just his McLaren teammate but the rest of the grid about his racing prowess. Remember, it was earlier this very year when he came desperately close to outpacing none other than Max Verstappen for pole at the Sprint qualifying at Belgium.

Race upon race, Oscar Piastri is growing in confidence and is clearly indicating the fact that he is not at McLaren to play some second fiddle to the man who gave Max Verstappen such a run for his money: Lando Norris.

In the long run, however, this is going to make headlines at the papaya-liveried team and augur well for McLaren’s further prominence on the grid. Don’t you think so?