The Aussie was among several stars who took part in a McLaren fan event ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, where he got behind the wheel of the V8-powered McLaren MP4/23 that Hamilton used to win the 2008 crown.
The experience came as McLaren marked what would have been its 1000th grand prix weekend, had the milestone not been pushed back due to the cancelled races in the Middle East in April.
Alongside Piastri, Lando Norris and former champions Mika Hakkinen and Emerson Fittipaldi all drove historic machinery in a street demonstration.
Piastri said he enjoyed the chance to sample a car from another F1 era.
“It was cool,” he said.
“It’s always fun to drive an old car. The noise was pretty special, a bit simpler and just the feeling you get from it is pretty cool.
“It’s obviously a cool day for us as a team, but driving a naturally-aspirated V8 was cool.”
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The Australian admitted the contrast with modern machinery was striking, particularly given the complexity of today’s turbo-hybrid generation.
That sense of simplicity fed directly into his wider thoughts on the current F1 product, which he was asked about during Thursday’s FIA press conference in Miami.
“I still get to call myself a Formula 1 driver. That’s always a cool thing to say,” he replied when asked what his favourite and least favourite thing is about the new F1 regulations.
“The least favourite thing? It’s hard to see any negative. I don’t know.
“In all seriousness, driving a car from 2008 yesterday and seeing some of the cool cars from the past, I think trying to recapture some of those things would be very cool for the future.
“As to the product, I think clearly we’re making changes to try and improve it.”
Piastri reiterated his viewpoint on the weight of the current F1 cars, suggesting they are still far too heavy, even with the 2026 regulations introducing a reduction of around 30 kilograms compared to last year.
“I mean, I don’t know what weight the car I drove yesterday was, but realistically to make a big difference the number needs to be probably 50+ [kg], probably closer to 100 [kg], in all honesty,” he explained.
“The cars are still very heavy.
“I think if we could get it back into a figure starting with six, in the 600 [kgs] somewhere, that would probably be good.
“We’re never going to get back to 500 [kgs] or high 500 [kgs].
“I think the only way you can get there is taking out the battery and making the engines simpler, but I don’t think you necessarily need to do that.”
The 24-year-old also welcomed the adjustments made by the FIA ahead of this weekend’s race in Miami, but suggested the changes only scratch the surface of deeper structural issues.
“The collaboration has been good, and trying to make changes, I think they’re a step in the right direction,” Piastri said.
“You’re never going to fix the problems without changing the hardware of the power units, but I think it’s a step in the right direction.
“How much it helps, we’ll have to wait and see.”
McLaren arrive in Miami chasing a return to the front after a mixed start to the 2026 campaign.
The team have brought upgrades for the weekend, though Piastri tempered expectations given the pace of rivals, particularly Mercedes.
“I think hopefully we’ll be faster. Obviously, that’s the plan,” he said.
“It’s not going to be enough to challenge Mercedes this weekend, I don’t think, but it’s definitely in the right direction.”
With the Miami street circuit hosting the second sprint event of the season, and unpredictable weather also in the mix, Piastri said he expected a weekend of constant adjustment.
“It’s going to be a weekend full of changes and trying to get on top of things better than everybody else,” he said.
“And if we can do that, then there’s still going to be opportunities to finish higher than maybe where you should.”
2026 F1 Miami Grand Prix – Schedule, how to watch, TV times & more
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