Piastri has quickly established himself as an F1 front-runner, and became a grand prix winner at the Hungarian Grand Prix last month.
Success for the Australian has come quickly, the Hungaroring race was just his 35th F1 start.
It follows an impressive junior career that saw him win three titles in as many seasons.
In F1, Piastri has developed a trademark approach, taking a conservative approach to race weekends and building up through practice.
His demeanour, both in and out of the car, has been similarly controlled.
But while that has won him admirers, it has left open the question as to whether he can push the limits like Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and others have.
The 23-year-old, however, insists that he’s able to hold his own when it matters.
“Just because I’m calm doesn’t mean I’m not ruthless,” Piastri told Sky Sports.
“There’s been a lot of tough situations through my career where you need to get your elbows out.
“I think I said last year, I don’t want to be seen as a pest on track, but you have to earn your respect.
“I feel like that’s something that I’ve done and tried to race people hard but fair.
“I definitely think I’m ruthless enough, but it doesn’t have to come at the expense of being calm and a nice person as well.”
More on Oscar Piastri and McLaren
👉 X-ray reveals Piastri won Hungarian GP with broken rib
👉 How Oscar Piastri flies under the F1 radar
Piastri is a character; his quick wit and dry sense of humour are often lost in media interviews but abundantly clear in his use of social media.
His desire to succeed is also clear, evidenced by his mere presence in F1.
With that comes a ruthlessness, born out of necessity in pursuit of an infinitesimally small dream; he left Australia at 14 and was on his own in Europe at 15.
That has curated a steely personality, one not easily shaken, and one that knows full well what it takes to succeed.
That is often hidden behind his calm persona, a point he concedes is at least partly deliberate.
“My personality is pretty relaxed and calm as it is,” Piastri told the Going Purple podcast.
“There’s been conscious effort on that as well. I mean, not in terms of [creating] a personality, but in terms of making sure that I’m in the right headspace when I’m in the car.
“Maybe it came a bit more naturally than it does for some others, but it was still a conscious effort to try and make sure I’m always in that headspace.
“Because there are still moments, motorsport can be pretty frustrating at the best of times, so I would say, a combination of just how I kind of am naturally, and then also having a conscious effort to keep it that way and just be a professional.
“I think a lot of people think I’m very calm, which I think I am, but I still have my moments,” he added.
“You need the odd moment of rage here and there.
“Some people think I’m like, complete flat line, but I do have my moments.”
Discussion about this post