ALBERT PARK — Oscar Piastri believes a repeat of his surprise Q3 berth from Saudi Arabia is possible at his first home Grand Prix if everything goes right for his struggling McLaren team.
The Australian grew up down the road from the Albert Park circuit but has never raced a car in his home country, as a go-karting race seven years ago was followed by a move to Europe to chase his Formula 1 dream.
“I played Aussie rules footy and cricket on some of the ovals that are now the paddock, so yeah, very special to be home this weekend,” he told reporters on Thursday.
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“I was here as a reserve driver last year and I think in 2015 I was a grid kid for (former Red Bull and Toro Rosso driver) Daniil Kyvat.
“So I was holding his flag and he broke down on the lap to the grid, so I never got to actually see him. But it’ll be pretty special to have someone holding my flag this time.”
Piastri made it into the top-10 shootout at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix a fortnight ago but a lap one calamity forced him and teammate Lando Norris into another points-less race, leaving the papaya outfit last in the constructors’ championship.
The disappointing start to the season has seen the team openly flag their long-term development plans, which include upgrades at the next race in Azerbaijan at the end of April, followed by a “B-spec” car launched after the mid-season break.
So while it may be a while before Piastri can challenge for a first F1 podium, he believes similarities between the Jeddah and Melbourne circuits – which are both street tracks – will suit his machinery.
“Qualifying especially gave me a lot of confidence that the way we’re working is the right way,” he explained.
“I didn’t really change that much from Bahrain but the results were much different obviously, getting into Q3. It was a nice confidence boost.
“Sunday, nice to see the end at least, but the first lap I could’ve done a few things differently and kept myself out of trouble a bit better. The rest of the race, nice to get a race distance under my belt at least, so definitely some learning and getting rid of the rust, still.
“We’ll try our best obviously (to score points). Compared to the last two tracks here should be more like Saudi I hope, the tarmac’s similar, the layout’s a bit more similar compared to Bahrain, so hopefully that’s good for us.
“Saudi we showed we can get into Q3 and fight for the points on our good days so hopefully we just have a clean race, and my front wing doesn’t wipe out Lando this time, and we’ll see what we can do.”
McLaren has undoubtedly taken a step back this season with Red Bull the clear title favourites, with surprise packets Aston Martin plus Ferrari and Mercedes the next-best.
But that leaves a wide-open midfield with the last few points positions up for grabs, according to Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou.
“It’s clear there’s three or four teams ahead of the rest, but then from P8 downwards it’s very tight,” he explained.
“Anybody can be grabbing those final points finishes, which is the aim and the realistic target.”
The Australian Grand Prix has never been a happy hunting ground for local drivers, with no Aussies even making the podium at Albert Park before.
Daniel Ricciardo scored points on his Australian debut with Toro Rosso but then never finished higher than fourth – he crossed the line second in 2014 but was disqualified for a fuel breach – while Mark Webber finished a stunning fifth in his debut for Minardi, but could only reach a best of fourth in 2012 for Red Bull.
A lesser points finish appears the most likely target for Piastri both in Melbourne and over the next few month until the team’s upgrade packages come through.
“It’ll definitely help us to move closer to the front of the grid. I’m sure all of the other teams have got upgrades of their own as well,” he said.
“I think what we’ve got coming in Baku is a good step in what is, you know, a bigger plan through the rest of the season.
“It’ll help a bit get us on the right track, I hope, but we’re not underestimating everyone else will probably have new parts as well, so we’ll see how much competitiveness we gain from that.”
