McLaren's Oscar Piastri very comfortable in F1's fast lane

As McLaren grappled with challenges in 2023, Piastri and teammate Lando Norris rode the wave of the team's resurgence.

The team's mid-season transformation, fuelled by upgrades, catapulted them up the grid at last year's Austrian Grand Prix.

Now in 2024, Piastri has found himself behind the wheel of a potent machine, one that promises podiums and perhaps even race victories.

Yet, despite the seismic shift in performance, Piastri has remained grounded.

His second season feels "more comfortable," a testament to experience and growing confidence. "Not massively," Piastri admitted when asked about personal changes. "A bit more established, a few more results under my belt. So it's just that extra comfort factor."

Last year's in-season development bore fruit: Piastri clinched his maiden F1 victory in the Qatar Grand Prix sprint.

Meanwhile, Norris secured his elusive grand prix win in Miami recently. The points tally has told a compelling story: after eight rounds in 2023, Piastri had a mere five points; this season, he's already amassed 71, inching closer to his debut campaign's total.

Yet, life in the F1 paddock remains familiar. "The nerves are still there," Piastri confessed. His preparation mirrors the past, albeit with a crucial difference: the seasoned familiarity of circuits. No longer a rookie discovering tracks, he now draws upon prior experiences. The evolution is subtle, not earth-shattering.

"Everything else is more or less the same, to be honest," he said. "It's just, instead of going to a lot of these places for the first time in an F1 car, you've got that experience already. So it kind of naturally evolves, but not changing the world."

As the F1 circus heads to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix this upcoming weekend, Piastri's journey continues. The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve awaits, a 4.361-kilometre ribbon of asphalt where speed and strategy collide.