Speaking to Speedcafe, the former Williams and Tyrrell driver said Piastri’s composed approach behind the wheel reminded him of the first time he saw Prost test a McLaren at Paul Ricard early in the Frenchman’s career.
“The day I tested the Tyrrell at Paul Ricard, Alain Prost had his first day in the McLaren,” Daly said.
“And it’s funny how you see a driver on the track and you hear his gear changes and his braking and you make a decision. You categorise him immediately.
“Wow. He’s good.
“He’s an F3 guy just like me. This guy is really good.”
Piastri has frequently drawn comparisons to Prost throughout his F1 career due to his calm demeanour and measured driving style, with the Australian rapidly emerging as one of the sport’s leading drivers since joining McLaren in 2023.
After winning multiple races in 2024, Piastri led the majority of the drivers’ championship in 2025 before a costly mid-season run without points ultimately hurt his title hopes, with the Melburnian finishing third behind teammate Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
Daly believes the similarities between Piastri and Prost extend well beyond temperament, pointing to the Australian’s consistency and ability to remain emotionally detached under pressure.
“Piastri is very similar because he’s largely mistake free,” Daly explained.
“Everybody makes mistakes. Prost made mistakes. Prost in Monaco in 1982 had it wrapped up when he threw the whole thing into the bin.
“But Piastri is very similar. I think the most impressive thing about Oscar Piastri is he has this ability to become emotionally numb.
“In other words, he doesn’t seem to get wrapped up in the emotion of the moment of a grand prix race day when everything is going into panic mode.
“And he’s cool. He doesn’t rush his race prep, you know, putting his ear plugs in or his balaclava on. It’s all just measured. Easy.
“You hear him on the radio and you’d think he just fell asleep. And this is the end of the race.”
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The Irishman said the Australian’s calmness during the chaos of a grand prix weekend was now influencing the next generation of drivers coming through the junior ranks.
“I now hear young drivers when they’re being told who to emulate, I hear them being told, ‘think like Piastri. Think like Oscar Piastri’,” he said.
“Think about being numb. Think about being relaxed. Think about an easy feel on the steering wheel.”
Daly also suggested McLaren may not have fully realised how complete Piastri was when the team signed him, with the Australian quickly establishing himself alongside Norris.
“I don’t think McLaren really believed he was as good as he was going to be. As fast as he was,” he said.
“McLaren put him in there saying, yeah, he’s good. We want to put him in there.
“But he definitely surprised McLaren in just how good and how complete he was at such a young age.”
Despite Norris winning the 2025 world championship, Daly believes the long-term dynamic between the McLaren pair remains unresolved, particularly as Piastri continues to develop.
“I think he’s a slow burner, but he’s a long game player,” Daly said.
“I think last year he got the hard lesson that when he went that stretch where he scored no points, it cost him the world championship.
“So I think he’s a long player. He’s going to let this play out for the first half of the year, and then see where things are.”
Piastri currently sits sixth in the drivers’ championship after the opening four rounds of the season.
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