Get to know maybe the coolest, calmest F1 driver in history

Oscar Piastri mightiness conscionable beryllium nan coolest Formula 1 driver location has ever been.

The Australian exudes a consciousness of calmness that seems to permeate his full being.

He doesn't criticise his rivals. He doesn't outcry connected nan squad radio. He doesn't really do controversy.

This value has been notable since he made his debut successful F1, conscionable complete 2 years ago. Now, 7 races into a play that he could extremity by achieving his life's dream astatine nan property of 24, it is proving to beryllium 1 of his slayer strengths arsenic he navigates his first title campaign.

Piastri says this "comes rather naturally", but arsenic successful galore cases successful elite sport, it's nan activity that's done to hone nan talent that makes nan difference.

"Whether that's from my genes, I don't know," Piastri says. "But location is simply a batch of conscious effort connected maintaining that. Maybe it comes a spot much naturally, but (it's) trying to beryllium successful that bully area wherever you tin beryllium calm and cognize what useful for you.

"I'm still a quality and I still person emotions, truthful I still person to power it. And that is simply a spot of mine.

"Ninety-nine per cent of nan clip I'm astir apt arsenic calm arsenic it looks. There's decidedly moments successful nan car wherever it puts my emotions to nan test. But it benignant of goes backmost to nan activity you do, benignant of putting things successful perspective."

Piastri's Zen-like personality, and nan desert-dry humour that comes pinch it, is opening to create him rather nan following.

But he is simply a elemental soul, and it comes arsenic nary astonishment to perceive he cares not for nan trappings of F1.

"I don't get bothered that overmuch by benignant of each nan fanfare that goes on," Piastri says.

"And I admit each nan support that I get. But I'm present to thrust title cars. I for illustration driving title cars. I for illustration going fast. I for illustration trying to hit different people. That's what I'm present for.

"I consciousness for illustration I'm a beautiful elemental person. And, yeah, my consciousness of humour is beautiful dry, and I don't springiness much. But that's conscionable maine being me.

"In this sport, it's very easy to benignant of get mislaid trying to beryllium thing you're not, and benignant of fresh to a mould.

"I consciousness for illustration I tin conscionable beryllium myself. And I deliberation pinch much acquisition and erstwhile you person immoderate bully results and you go much comfortable, past you tin travel retired of your ammunition a spot more. But for maine there's not that overmuch shell. It's conscionable really I am."

Piastri credits immoderate of his mentality connected having to make it to F1 from truthful acold away.

He moved to Europe arsenic a 14-year-old. His father, Chris, stayed pinch him for nan first six months, but past he returned to Australia and Piastri went to boarding schoolhouse successful England.

Piastri says this made him "grow up rather quickly - you get a batch of life acquisition very early on".

"It was decidedly a large decision, but I ne'er had to mobility it excessively much," he adds.

"My benignant of measurement of looking astatine that was, 'OK, I want to go a master racing driver. If I tin do it successful Formula 1, past that's moreover better. And nan measurement of getting location is by going to Europe.'

"So, again, removing nan emotion from it to an extent, I benignant of went, 'I want to execute this dream of mine. This is really I get there.'"

Piastri is starring nan title by 13 points from his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris heading into this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

His breakthrough twelvemonth came successful 2024, erstwhile he took his maiden expansive prix triumph successful Hungary, and followed it up with a 2nd successful Azerbaijan, founded connected nan benignant of brave, clinical, decisive overtaking manoeuvre that has go his trademark.

Those incisive racing skills person paid disconnected this year. He already has 2 of nan champion overtaking moves of nan play to his name.

A brave walk connected Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari successful nan bedewed astir nan extracurricular of nan fastest area connected nan way successful Melbourne and - moreover amended - connected Hamilton again successful nan particulate astir nan extracurricular of nan kink approaching nan high-speed chicane successful Saudi Arabia, a move that was captious successful ensuring he took nan lead from Verstappen astir nan pit stops successful Jeddah.

Is location a parallel betwixt his unruffled characteristic and his decisiveness connected track?

"I don't cognize if it's a parallel," he says, "but they're surely linked.

"In immoderate ways, they're benignant of opposites, right? My calm characteristic and immoderate of my moves are connected nan fierce side. But I do deliberation that those moves travel from being capable to beryllium calm and deliberation clearly."

Although Verstappen caught him unawares pinch his stunning walk into nan first chicane successful Imola connected Sunday, Piastri has already shown he is not intimidated by nan four-time champion's uncompromising attack to racing.

Last year, in a BBC Sport interview, Verstappen gave a uncommon penetration into his accuracy of racing, saying: "When I title pinch someone, he will not beryllium capable to overtake maine astir nan outside."

But Piastri has already proved he has what it takes. He took nan lead from Verstappen astatine nan commencement successful Jeddah, and did truthful again successful Miami - pinch a move that started by going astir nan outside, and which provoked nan Dutchman into braking excessively late, allowing Piastri to trim backmost to nan inside.

"Even without Max saying that, conscionable from watching him done nan years and now racing against him, I already knew that," Piastri says.

"And I consciousness for illustration successful each honesty, I person - possibly it's a somewhat little sadistic attack - but it's surely not dissimilar.

"Max and I title each different successful rather a akin way. Very robust, uncompromising, and I deliberation we some push nan limits to an extent.

"I ever effort to beryllium fair, but it's a very good statement betwixt good, difficult racing and conscionable overstepping nan mark, and it's ever difficult to find that balance.

"But I consciousness for illustration nan some of america person a batch of respect for racing each other. We cognize what to expect, particularly aft a fewer battles this year."

What impresses astir Piastri successful conflict is nan preciseness. He doesn't discarded energy. He doesn't spell for a move that's not on, aliases effort a half move that is not going to travel off. He waits, and pounces erstwhile nan infinitesimal is conscionable right.

"I learned beautiful early connected successful my profession that usually erstwhile you do things half-heartedly successful a title car, that's usually erstwhile things spell wrong," he says.

"Whether that's pushing connected a qualifying thigh aliases particularly overtaking someone, usually really nan champion measurement to not get yourself successful problem is by conscionable committing to things.

"That's evidently a spot of a intelligence hurdle to get over, but I consciousness for illustration erstwhile I sewage complete that successful my karting days, past it's been much aliases little a spot of excavation ever since."

The racing skills person been evident successful Piastri from nan commencement successful F1. Where he has stepped it up this play is successful his outright performance.

Last year, Norris was unquestionably McLaren's lead driver, nan 1 usually taking nan conflict to Verstappen. Piastri hit nan Briton only 4 times successful qualifying successful nan full season, and his mean lap-time shortage to his team-mate was 0.147 seconds.

This season, nan people is 6-3 successful Piastri's favour complete each qualifying sessions, including nan sprints, and now nan mean clip advantage is 0.146secs for him.

This is nan instauration for his 4 wins, to Verstappen's 2 and Norris' one.

How has he turned things astir truthful effectively?

"The team's done a awesome occupation pinch nan car," Piastri says. "And nan team's besides done a awesome occupation pinch myself. That portion goes some ways. We've recovered gains successful each area. The driver being 1 of them.

"Just trying to pursuit capacity successful each category, basically.

"Last twelvemonth what was hampering maine was my qualifying performances, which I deliberation yet came down to a flimsy deficiency of gait overall. And going astir trying to find that gait has been decidedly a challenging exercise, but evidently a very worthwhile one."

The answer, he says, has been "trying to conscionable find nan past mates of hundredths (of a second) successful each class you can. And they each adhd up.

"The first spot you look astatine is evidently nan driving and nan data, and nary 2 group will thrust successful an identical way. But usually there's immoderate traits from 1 driver that are amended than nan other. And immoderate from different that are amended than your team-mate's.

"So Lando has evidently been a awesome reference for that, being very, very speedy nan full clip we've been together.

"I americium possibly a faster driver. But I don't deliberation it's because I tin now do things that I couldn't do before. It's conscionable that I'm capable to necktie it together a batch more.

"You activity connected nan method aspects of driving. Whether it's really you brake and turn, really you use your steering lock. It's rather difficult to thatch yourself to thrust un-instinctively, but it is possible."

The opposition pinch Norris - who has spent overmuch of nan twelvemonth truthful acold explaining really nan car does not behave successful nan measurement he wants, and really that has been holding him backmost - is obvious.

But some McLaren drivers are successful nan title conflict - Verstappen is presently third, 22 points down Piastri.

Does he person immoderate interest that Verstappen could sneak done nan mediate arsenic he and Norris return points disconnected each other?

"It is simply a possibility, yes," he says. "But, connected some sides of nan car shed here, we want to triumph because we've been nan champion driver, nan champion team, including against nan different car successful nan team. You ever want to gain things connected merit and you want to beryllium capable to hit everyone, including your team-mates.

"So that gives Lando and I nan champion chance of our individual goals of trying to go drivers' world champion, while besides achieving nan main consequence for nan team, which is nan constructors' championship.

"If we do get beaten by Max, of people that would hurt, but we would cognize that we some had nan aforesaid opportunity, we were racing everybody retired location and that's conscionable really it panned out.

"For america it's nan astir straightforward, nan fairest measurement of going racing and that's what we've asked for."

And does he deliberation astir nan truth he tin extremity nan twelvemonth arsenic world champion?

"A bit, yes," he says. "But I've besides thought astir it earlier this twelvemonth arsenic well.

"It's very easy to benignant of conscionable go: 'Yeah, that's nan business I'm in', but what I've been doing successful nan past 10 years, particularly nan past 2 years, has each been building to effort and hole for erstwhile I'm successful this situation.

"And it's very easy for maine to conscionable go: 'Well, if I execute this believe session, execute this qualifying session, execute this race, people my championship's going to commencement to look beautiful rosy.'

"It's evidently still very early successful nan year, and erstwhile you get later successful nan season, nan unit ramps up.

"Potentially immoderate of nan decisions you make connected nan way commencement to alteration a bit. But for now, it's conscionable astir trying to people nan astir points I tin and spell retired location and effort and triumph each race."