Oscar Piastri has enjoyed his first drive in the new Formula One McLaren that he’s hoping will jet him to the world title in 2025.
Emphasising his determination to build on his fourth-place finish in last year’s championship, which included his first two grand prix triumphs, the Australian declared he wanted “much more” this year as he took the MCL39 for a spin at Silverstone.
Along with British ace Lando Norris, the world championship runner-up with whom Piastri helped McLaren win their first constructors’ crown since 1998, the Melbourne man shared driving duties during a promotional filming day on Thursday at the home of the British Grand Prix.
“It’s great to get behind the wheel of the MCL39 for the first time ahead of us putting it through its paces in Bahrain,” Piastri said, referring to pre-season testing at Sakhir later in February.
“I have been working hard in the off-season to ensure I am ready for the season ahead.
“The margins at the top are likely to be incredibly tight but I’m excited by the room for growth after two seasons in the sport. Winning grands prix early in my career has given me the taste for success and I want much more.”
The new 24-race season will open up with Piastri’s home grand prix in Melbourne in just over a month’s time, with the 23-year-old hoping to start the campaign with a bang to add to his victories in Hungary and Azerbaijan last year.
McLaren revealed Piastri has been working with a new performance coach in the off-season.
“I’ve been in F1 for a couple of years now, so I’m starting to understand better what parts of my body I need to train more and what things I need to work on,” he told the team’s official website.
“I’ve got a new trainer this year, so we’ve been spending some time getting to know each other and our different ways of working and training. It’s been quite fun getting used to some different things.
“Otherwise, it’s just improving on my general level of fitness, keeping my muscular level of fitness going and trying to prepare my neck.”
As McLaren showcased a special one-off camo livery for the car before next week’s all-team F1 launch in London, the team’s CEO Zak Brown said: “Today is a big milestone in our journey in the fight for the 2025 title.
“We believe we have made further steps forward since the championship-winning MCL38 but we won’t know where we sit in the standings until we get into qualifying in Australia.
“We’re a team that never stops racing and we’ll be giving it our all to bring both championships back to Woking.”
https://thewest.com.au/sport/motorsport/oscar-piastri-ready-to-race-for-f1-glory-in-new-mclaren-c-17714235
