Last summer, Brown signed Formula 2 champion Piastri to replace Daniel Ricciardo as the team’s driver. AlthoughPiastri was well-known in the motor racing world, it still carried some risk since they never tested him before they hired him.
F1’s first two races were too confusing to tell who was faster between Piastri and Norris. At Piastri’s home race, he almost beat Norris in qualifying but lost by a very small margin (0.046s). But Brown believes that these results show that Piastri is as fast as Norris.
“We want two drivers to compete and push each other. Early signs suggest that Oscar will be able to keep up with Lando in the race, so it should all come down to us providing them with a good car. Both drivers will work hard.” said Brown.
Oscar Piastri, from the McLaren MCL60 team, believes having two drivers who have won many Grand Prix’s is essential for having a successful team. Despite not having much experience, Simon Brown has noticed how focused Oscar is in achieving success.
Oscar’s home race in Melbourne is getting more attention because he has replaced Ricciardo as the only Australian racer. Even so, Oscar remains focused on his job and doesn’t seem to be distracted by all the extra attention. Brown said that Oscar is a very mature 21-year-old and it isn’t obvious that this is his hometown race, since he keeps his head down and stays focused.
“Nobody can tell the difference between him and any other F1 driver in Bahrain or Saudi Arabia because of his great focus and placid attitude. That’s why he’s become so successful in grandprix racing.”
