For those who keep up with the feeder series, Oscar Piastri is no doubt a popular name. Becoming a racing driver in Australia is challenging, but this youngster seems to be on the right track. The teen, who went from playing with remote control cars to Formula 3 Champion, is undoubtedly going to go even further.

The 19-year-old started karting in 2011, and by 2013 he won his first karting championship–  CIK Stars of Karting. The following year he won the Southern Australia Junior Championship and Victorian State Junior Championship. In 2017, Piastri made his debut in single-seaters competing in the UAE Formula 4 championship with Dragon Formula 4. In the select rounds, he got two podiums and ended 6th in the championship. The same year, he was vice-champion of British Formula 4 with TRS Arden Junior Team, where he collected six wins and six poles. In 2018, he made his Formula Renault debut with Arden, getting three podiums and two wins over a season that saw him finish 9th. The following year he switched teams to R-ace GP and won the Formula Renault Championship. After these stand-out performances, it’s fair to say he is full of talent. In January 2020, Piastri joined the Renault Sport Academy (now Alpine Academy), an impressive feat for someone new to the higher-level feeder series.

Oscar on the podium at Spa during the 2019 Formula Renault Championship (via Wikimedia Commons/JJ Howlett)

Last year, Piastri impressed fans in the F3 Championship battle between him and his fellow Prema teammate Logan Sargeant. Throughout the season, Piastri finished on the podium in 6 of the 18 races, got two fastest laps, and only finished out of the top 10 once. He continually had DRS issues over the season that once led to a race retirement. Piastri hasn’t been afraid to make jokes about his problems, tweeting, “I’m happy to announce that DRS and I have mended our relationship and are now stronger than ever. (I’ve just jinxed the sh*t out of that).” Especially impressive is the fact that Piastri managed to win the race on his debut and became the champion in his rookie year, which is no small feat. The Prema boys certainly had us on the edge of our seats until the last round at Mugello. Unfortunately, Logan Sargeant retired, and Piastri went on to win the Championship.

Piastri hasn’t been afraid to make jokes about his problems, tweeting, “I’m happy to announce that DRS and I have mended our relationship and are now stronger than ever. (I’ve just jinxed the sh*t out of that).”

This season, Piastri moved up to Formula 2 with Prema, and in the first weekend, he has shown exceptional skills in the car. In race two of the weekend, he made brave moves that led to his win in only his second race in F2. He showed good pace and consistently battled with many more experienced drivers in the top 10 throughout the weekend. However, he pushed too hard in race three and collided with Ticktum, costing him a second win or podium. Overall, Oscar Piastri has shown he has what it takes to be in championship contention. It wouldn’t be the first time he won a championship in his rookie year.

One of Oscar’s classic tweets about the rain at the Turkish GP (via @OscarPiastri on Twitter)

Oscar’s high speed and laid-back personality have caught the eye of two other Aussie drivers. Mark Webber has managed Piastri for the past two years, which is great because what more could he want than a talented veteran to show him the ropes? Former Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo has also taken an interest in the young driver’s career, impressed by Piastri’s F3 performance. There’s no doubt that with the help of Alpine and Mark Webber, Oscar Piastri has the potential to be in F1 and win a world championship someday.