McLaren team boss Andrea Stella described Oscar Piastri as “outstanding” after the rookie finished fourth in the British Grand Prix.
The Australian delivered the best result of his career to date and was unlucky not to have scored a maiden podium alongside team-mate Lando Norris who finished second.
An unfortunately timed Safety Car saw the Melburnian drop behind Lewis Hamilton is a sublime performance from the 22-year-old.
“Oscar’s performance is just outstanding,” Stella, McLaren team principal, said of Piastri.
“If you think he’s a rookie, and right away, even in practice, he was immediately quick – he was immediately in some corners a good reference for Lando.
“If you remember, we were talking about the last corner in Barcelona, how quick he was straightaway, then here in some high-speed stuff, Oscar was again very quick.”
That early performance helped drive McLaren forward over the weekend, Stella reasoned.
“This allows some synergies between the drivers because both can see where you can improve from each other, and this elevates the performance of both drivers,” he said.
“So not only are we impressed, but there’s a net benefit in having two competitive drivers.”
Piastri’s Silverstone performance also caught Stella’s eye, demonstrating the Australian’s ability to learn from his mistakes.
In Barcelona, he was caught out in damp conditions and dropped time in Qualifying 3, leaving himself frustrated.
While the opportunity was there for a repeat on Saturday in Silverstone, there was no such error this time.
“For me, this is just confirmation,” Stella reasoned.
“If anything, the element that comes out today is that his race craft and the ability to keep grip in the tyres, clean driving in an intense racing situation, think about the Safety Car restart on a hard tyre… he was immediately there.
“This is a mature race craft which is quite impressive in a guy that is so young.”
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