Aussie rookie Oscar Piastri not afraid of making mistakes and learning from them

2023 McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri claims he is not afraid to make mistakes in the early stages of his F1 career. The Australian believes he shouldn't be too harsh on himself and is working on learning from his mistakes.

Oscar Piastri's F1 debut ended after just 13 laps in Bahrain due to a reliability issue. However, the former F2 champion bounced back in Jeddah, managing to put his McLaren MCL60 into Q3.

The driver received considerable praise from the F1 community for his qualifying performance due to the current woeful state of his 2023 challenger.

While the Australian didn't have the race he would have hoped for in Jeddah, he managed to outperform his teammate Lando Norris, who has been the benchmark of consistency at the Woking-based squad since his debut.

Speaking to Speedcafe, Oscar Piastri believes he needs to focus on his foundation. He said:

“Obviously, there’s an element of where we are as a team throughout the whole year. Of course, I want to get some results when the opportunity’s there but I think at the start of the year anyway, just laying these foundations, learning everything and then when the opportunities arise, making sure that I’m there to take them."

“There’s going to be an element of not being too harsh on myself whilst I’m learning but at the same time, I want to make sure if I do make these mistakes that I make them once and learn from them.”

Nico Rosberg impressed by Oscar Piastri's performance in Jeddah

2016 F1 champion Nico Rosberg has praised Oscar Piastri for his impressive performance at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The rookie driver, who joined McLaren for the 2023 season, managed to outshine his teammate Lando Norris, much to the former champion's admiration.

Despite finishing in 15th place, Piastri exhibited remarkable composure throughout the race, even though he faced little advantage. Starting in eighth position, the McLaren driver encountered a minor collision with Pierre Gasly's Alpine, which caused damage to his front wing and required a pit stop on lap one.

However, Piastri's determination was evident as he managed to overtake Logan Sargeant's Williams and his teammate Lando Norris towards the end of the race, earning praise from the F1 community. Nico Rosberg, in particular, was impressed with Piastri's exceptional performance, considering McLaren's lackluster form.

Rosberg told Sky Sports F1:

"I have been very impressed this weekend with Oscar. It's the ultimate challenge for a rookie to come in and be up against Lando, especially when the car is so difficult and bad to drive. A really solid weekend."

The Australian driver also put on a stellar showing on Saturday (March 18), qualifying P8 in his dismal 2023 challenger. It will be interesting to watch the rookie's first home race this weekend.