Navigating a season far from the frenzy of a championship battle, Oscar Piastri has begun to experience a contrasting shift in his mental approach as a driver. Unlike last year, when he was a primary contender in the hunt for the Formula 1 crown, his current seventh-place standing offers a unique perspective for the Australian racer.
In an exclusive insight, Piastri admitted to a duality of feelings. On one hand, he feels more relaxed due to the reduced psychological pressure, but on the other, he misses the pure adrenaline surge that comes with fighting at the front. "Yes and no," he remarked when asked if missing out on the title had been a blow. "I want to be in a championship fight every year if I can be, but also, it's definitely a bit more relaxed this year. Obviously, we're not wanting to be in this position, but there's not quite the same stress."
For the McLaren driver, the stress associated with a championship fight is actually a sensation every professional driver craves. He believes that intensity is proof that he is fighting for his ultimate goal. "But that stress that you have in a championship fight is the feeling you want because it means you're fighting for something that is what your goal is. I am missing that feeling this year for sure, and it adds a bit of extra intensity. But yeah, it's not all... there are some things that are a little bit easier when you're not in a championship," he added.
Regarding the technical challenges of the car, Piastri highlighted the difficulty in understanding this season's vehicle characteristics. Since the start of the year, the Woking-based outfit has had to adapt to new regulations, particularly regarding the power unit. "It was clear at the beginning of the season that they were going to be quite different, but mainly from the power unit side of things. The actual cars themselves are smaller, they have less downforce, so of course they're always going to be different," he explained.
He noted that the development process required significant time, especially in understanding tire management and aerodynamic balance. "After the first few races, and especially after they tweaked some of the rules, it became a bit more normal, and that's when we really dug deep into what the car itself is like. It wasn't that easy to drive, and it's still not been easy to drive, even now. We recognised pretty early on that the car had some things that were tricky to manage, but we're making progress with it slowly," he concluded.
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