In addition to proving his potential in his debut F1 season, Oscar Piastri is even happier to have built on his "hard but fair" reputation.

Though the wrangle over his services between Renault and McLaren left some with a bitter taste in their mouths, and hardly covered the Australian in glory, all that was forgotten as the youngster went from strength to strength over the course of 2023, giving the Woking outfit its only win of the year, albeit in a Sprint.

An understandable degree of caution coupled with an uncompetitive car meant a low key start to the season, however once the upgraded MCL60 was introduced the youngster was firing on all cylinders, and though teammate Lando Norris scored almost double the amount of points, Piastri served notice that he really is a star of the future.

A win in the Qatar Sprint, was followed by his second podium of the season and at season end he was ninth in the standings.

More importantly for the youngster however, who had won both the F3 and F2 titles at the first attempt, was the fact that he had maintained his reputation as a hard but fair racer.

"At the beginning of the season or beginning of your career, it's always important to show it to people that you're not a pushover," he told Motorsport.com. "It's not a nice thing to have."

"There's an element of respect," he added, "and I guess racing people how you want to be raced in some ways. I guess I always try and race people hard, but fair.

"I don't think I'm overly harsh or aggressive or anything like that. In my junior career, a big element of my championships was from staying out of trouble and being consistent."

Indeed, despite a number of dog-fights that had his fans on the edge of their seats, the youngster was one of the few drivers not to pick up a single penalty point over the course of the season.

"There's definitely a good saying in that it's sometimes more important to finish the race and be wrong in a situation, than be right about something and be out of the race," he said. "That's kind of always an element I've tried to keep, but I just tried to race hard but fair."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 09/01/2024 10:55

"A refreshingly candid approach without any of the in vogue touchy feely outlooks. He gives the impression that he s there for one thing only...and thats to win. Totally focussed."

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2. Posted by Spindoctor, 09/01/2024 10:55

"He's shown himself a real talent. Unlike some much-lauded drivers he seems to have avoided "learning" by colliding with his near opponents. He gave Norris a run for his money & I have great hopes for the future, assuming McLaren can deliver a decent car of course....."

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3. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 08/01/2024 22:14

"@Mad Matt - I agree; he made a very good impression in his first season. He doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously but he was seriously quick, for a rookie. McLaren really does have a strong driver line up and I have a feeling the rivalry will be good for both of them. "

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4. Posted by Mad Matt, 08/01/2024 13:07

"Good point @Hobgoblin but I would say he drove "hard but fair" last year, wasn't quick to complain and was fairly frank in his assessments of himself... all good signs for the future.

I'm not really someone who considers themselves a fan of a particular drive... more someone who has a soft spot for certain drivers and I think Oscar has won me over with his performances and attitude in 2023.... I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that when he finds out :-)"

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5. Posted by Hobgoblin, 08/01/2024 12:55

"to be honest, I reckon all drivers will consider themselves 'hard but fair'. The definition of what is fair is qualitative however."

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I'm hard but fair, says Piastri

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