Oscar Piastri was happy with his first day with McLaren F1 Team after it was announced he’d be replacing Daniel Ricciardo for the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
The Australian driver, who won the FIA Formula 3 and FIA Formula 2 titles back-to-back in 2020 and 2021, is considered to be one of the most exciting upcoming drivers but he has a tough challenge on his hand, with his teammate being the driver who finished best of the rest in the 2022 season.
While Lando Norris may be a tough teammate to beat, Piastri is highly thought of in the paddock and was part of the BWT Alpine F1 Team driver academy and was touted as a replacement for Fernando Alonso, however, Piastri decided to take the step to McLaren for his first full-time seat in Formula 1.
The Formula 1 Post Season test at the Yas Marina Circuit was the perfect opportunity for Piastri to finally get behind the wheel of the McLaren, and he was pleased with his day.
“A good first day with McLaren, I think we learnt a lot. It was great to finally join up with the team, and thanks to them for a good day of running. We did a lot of laps and experimented a lot which is exactly what today is all about.
“I’ve got a good idea where to improve for next year. I really enjoyed it, it’s nice to be back out on track finally and experience the 2022 cars. I’m looking forward to next year now, I’ll be in the factory next week to meet the whole team, after that I’ll take a short break before getting back to work with McLaren to prepare for next year.”
