The 'chain' of Australians
Over the last decade there seems to be some sort of happening among Australian drivers in Formula 1 handover. At the end of 2013 Mark Webber he left the Circus to dedicate himself to endurance racing and his seat was occupied by his young compatriot Daniel Ricciardo, who was playing for Toro Rosso at the time. At the end of the 2022 season, however, it was Ricciardo who packed his bags, being dropped by McLaren to make room for another 'kangaroo', Oscar Piastri.
Now this chain has been broken, with Ricciardo returning to drive as a starter, concluding the season in AlphaTauri. In 2024 there will therefore be two children aussie at the start of the new Formula 1 season. Mark Webber himself, who today frequents the paddock as manager of the young Piastri, however, spoke of how his client was initially a little reluctant to the idea of take the seat away from a fellow countryman.
Triumphant debut season
“If Oscar hadn't replaced him this year, another driver would have done so – explained Webber in an interview with the magazine GP Racing Magazine – at that moment he he was a little reluctant because he thought about the fact that he would be taking the place of another Australian and there aren't many of us in our country who have raced in Formula 1. But it was McLaren's decision and in the end it's clear that it was the right one“.
Piastri's rookie season was top notch. The former F3 and F2 champion achieved two podiums, to which are added two top-3 placings also in the Sprints and the the icing on the cake was the victory in the short race in Lusail, in Qatar. Next year the 22-year-old from Melbourne is called to confirm himself to definitively enter the firmament of the new stars of Formula 1.
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