“In a few races, he’ll be there”: Oscar Piastri tipped to brush off ‘rocky patch’ and bounce back by fellow F1 driver 

Oscar Piastri has shown glimpses of speed during the season's first couple of races, qualifying ninth in Jeddah. But the 2021 Formula 2 champion had to wait until the Australian Grand Prix to score, finishing eighth.

Zhou Guanyu, meanwhile, says he understands Oscar Piastri's challenges in his first Formula One season after seeing what it's like to be a rookie in 2022. He said:

“I think it was very relative to me last year, he didn’t have the best start, but still, he showed he has the speed in Q3 in Jeddah. That was quite impressive from him. So firstly, happy to see him, and I knew that he will be here in F1. It’s good to see him on the grid this year racing together."

“Apart from that, I think he’s just having a rocky patch you have to break through it, and with more time, it just suddenly clicks inside you. I am sure in a few races, he’ll be there.” Zhou added.

Oscar Piastri is the lone rookie who has already scored this season with four in his hometown of Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix. Of course, he had some luck in doing so, as the youngster (22) capitalized on the turmoil during the last restart. Regardless, the points were especially appreciated following a rough start to the season.

Piastri did not have a poor race in Bahrain or Saudi Arabia, but his McLaren is not moving forward. Furthermore, Piastri missed the checkered flag in his maiden race due to an electrical issue. It was, indeed, a disappointing result for a team with such lofty goals. However, he finished ahead of Lando Norris, and your teammate is your toughest rival.

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McLaren will give big upgrades to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

McLaren is using the extended April break caused by the cancelation of the Chinese Grand Prix to prepare for the upcoming races. They have had a difficult start to the 2023 season.

Oscar Piastri retired from the season's opening race, and Lando Norris finished 17th due to a technical issue. Saudi Arabia wasn't any better, with the McLarens finishing P15 and P17, respectively, and over 85 seconds behind race winner Sergio Perez.

McLaren improved little in Australia, owing to a significant number of DNFs, with Norris taking P6 and Piastri taking P8. The team will now bring a number of significant modifications to Baku for the season's opening sprint race. Piastri is optimistic that they will make the car more competitive.

“I think it’ll definitely help us to move closer to the front of the grid. I’m sure all the other teams have got upgrades of their own as well,” Piastri said.

Oscar Piastri regarded the longer April break as a "nice opportunity" to reflect on the first three races of the season. He believes that his team is on the verge of a turnaround, as they aim for a better performance than they have for Baku and beyond.