2021 FIA Formula 2 World Championship winner, Oscar Piastri, has been confirmed to be racing for McLaren F1 Team next year, alongside Lando Norris. The news comes exactly a month after a controversial post on Twitter was posted by the Australian, explaining that he would not be racing for BWT Alpine F1 Team – who had incorrectly Tweeted an announcement that Piastri would be racing for the team in 2023, earlier in the day.
The reigning Formula 2 champion has developed quite a name for himself in recent years, winning three consecutive Drivers’ Championships in lower Formula categories. Piastri will be replacing Daniel Ricciardo (whose contract has been cut short by a year after an agreement with McLaren) at the papaya-coloured outfit, after a month of theorising from Formula 1 fans.
Piastri says that he is “extremely excited” to be racing at McLaren in the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, where he will be making his debut:
“I’m extremely excited to be making my F1 debut with such a prestigious team as McLaren and I’m very grateful for the opportunity that’s been offered to me.
“The team has a long tradition of giving young talent a chance, and I’m looking forward to working hard alongside Lando to push the team towards the front of the grid. I’m focused on preparing for my F1 debut in 2023 and starting my F1 career in papaya.”
“He will be able to help us move another step forward towards our ambitions” says Seidl
McLaren Team Principal, Andreas Seidl, has said that he wants to integrate Piastri into the team as quickly as possible, as McLaren hosts one of the youngest driver line-ups we have seen:
“The entire team is delighted to welcome Oscar to McLaren for the 2023 F1 season. He has an impressive racing career to date, and we are sure that together with Lando, he will be able to help us move another step forward towards our ambitions,” says Seidl.
“We still have an important job to do this season which the team remains focused on, before we will then ensure Oscar is integrated into the team as quickly as possible and ready for the challenges ahead. We look forward to preparing for an exciting 2023 season together.”
It's official! 😁#F1 #OP81 @mclaren pic.twitter.com/CFY3Z1ddrQ
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) September 2, 2022“We have a young, exciting F1 line-up with a huge amount of potential” – Zak Brown
CEO of McLaren, Zak Brown, has praised the twenty-one year old champion for his successful rookie seasons, and says that Piastri is an “exciting addition” to the team:
“Oscar is one of the up-and-coming talents coming through the feeder series into F1 and we are delighted to see him join the team for 2023. Winning both F3 and F2 in successive rookie seasons is a real achievement and testament to his talent in single-seater racing.
“In Lando and Oscar we have a young, exciting F1 line-up with a huge amount of potential, standing us in good stead to achieve our future ambitions. Oscar is an exciting addition to the McLaren family, and we look forward to seeing him grow with our F1 team.”