Oscar Piastri admits that having just a day and a half to get up to speed with McLaren’s MCL60 car poses a challenge ahead of his maiden Formula 1 campaign.
Piastri has joined the Woking-based squad for the upcoming campaign, racing alongside Lando Norris who enters his fifth season with the team.
F1 has reduced its testing times in recent years, posing a more significant challenge for rookie drivers.
However, Piastri is well established with F1 machinery having had several private outings with Alpine last year before signing with McLaren.
But his preparations inside the 2023 McLaren car have been far from ideal, as he has set just 170 laps during preseason testing – the third-fewest of any driver after Norris (142) and Felipe Drugovich (117).
READ MORE: Analysis: 2023 Formula 1 pre-season testing in numbers
“It’s certainly a challenge, that’s for sure,” Piastri said. “If I had more testing, that would be great.
“Myself and Logan [Sargeant] are in the same position. Nyck [de Vries] is a rookie as well but he’s already done a race.
“It’s the same for all the rookies, I’m sure we’d all love a bit more testing. But I think just trying to maximise the time we’ve got is the most important thing.”
Piastri arrives in F1 having won the Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships in his rookie campaigns.
He was involved in a contractual saga last year between Alpine and McLaren, but asserts that the incident is not placing extra pressure on his shoulders.
“I think in terms of my junior results, it’s been my ticket to F1,” the Australian added. “For me, it’s only a good thing that I can look back at with confidence.
“Regarding the contract situation last year, I think it’s closed and clear cut. I don’t think that aspect, in particular, adds anything.
“There’s an element of expectation, but that’s to be expected for all rookies.
“We’re one of 20 drivers in F1 so there’s always going to be a lot of eyes on us. I don’t think that’s really being affected too much.”
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