Oscar Piastri reacts to F1 legend’s high praise amid breakthrough McLaren season

McLaren star Oscar Piastri leads the F1 championship going into the summer break. Four-time F1 champion Alain Prost was at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last month and praised the Australian driver. Piastri recently came out and reacted to the high praise from the F1 legend.

McLaren brought an updated package to the 2024 Miami GP, which put them on par with Red Bull in the performance index. While Lando Norris was able to somewhat match Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri wasn't at the same level.

Coming into the 2025 F1 season, the Papaya team built the fastest car. While many expected Lando Norris to dominate, Oscar Piastri upped his game and is the current championship leader. However, his teammate isn't far away and is just 9 points behind him in the title race.

F1 Grand Prix Of Hungary - Source: Getty

F1 legend Alain Prost spoke with Karun Chandhok at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and suggested that Oscar Piastri reminded him of himself from the F1 days. The Australian driver was told about the praise from the four-time champion. The McLaren driver responded,

“It's very cool coming from Alain. I've had that comparison from a few people with Prost. I see it in some ways. I think it's very different, obviously back in the day there were a lot more reliability concerns, a lot more kind of driver-induced reliability issues as well. So I think in some ways it's quite different, but the mentality in some ways it's the same, trying to be consistent.” (via Motorsport)

With teams shifting focus towards the 2026 regulation changes, Max Verstappen is likely out of the championship race. With 10 races remaining in the season, it's going to be a fight between the McLaren teammates for the Drivers' title.

Oscar Piastri shares his approach as he battles Lando Norris for the 2025 F1 title

With 10 races remaining and just 9 points between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, a DNF for either of the drivers would be a big hit for the championship hopes. However, Piastri doesn't believe in the safer approach to the title, and going for maximum points is his way of challenging Norris. Speaking about the same, he said,

“I think there's definitely been some changes. Even still, now it's too early to kind of just bank points and finish races for the sake of finishing races. You still need to try and put your best foot forward and score points.” (via Autosport)

“You could say I need 18 points every weekend for the rest of the year, which is finishing second, but if you've got a clear opportunity to win the race and you don't take it, that's not a great way of going racing in my opinion,” he added

Oscar Piastri currently has 6 wins and 12 podiums this season, whereas his teammate Lando Norris has 5 wins and 12 podiums. With McLaren allowing it's drivers to fight under the Papaya rules (no collision or contact), the championship is likely to go down to the wire.