Formula 1 legend Damon Hill reckons comparisons between Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen would be unfair and put too much pressure on the young Australian.
There has been plenty of hype around Piastri and his long-awaited F1 debut, which was only amplified when Red Bull boss Christian Horner revealed in the latest season of Drive to Survive that he regretted not signing him.
Piastri and Verstappen have had totally different trajectories to F1. Verstappen was thrust into the Red Bull program early and became the youngest driver to participate in a grand prix on his 17th birthday having just one season of F3 under his belt.
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Piastri, by comparison, has had to follow the beaten track and rise through junior formulae ranks, winning the F3 and F2 titles
Even after winning F2, he had to wait a year before the well-documented tug-of-war between Alpine and McLaren for his services.
Piastri is among an elite club of drivers to have won the F3 and F2 titles in their first season – the others being George Russell and Charles Leclerc.
Both Russell and Leclerc have been branded future champions, as has Piastri. However, suggestions the Australian is destined to replicate Verstappen’s feats are too early, according to Hill
“That’s a big call, isn’t it? You don’t need that really, that sort of label being pinned on you,” Hill told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“I think Oscar needs to be himself, and we’ll see how he develops. We’ve only just got the first Max Verstappen, do we need another one yet?”
Hill was encouraged by a top 10 qualifying effort by Piastri in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but said expectations should be tempered knowing that it’s only his first season.
That’s even more pertinent considering McLaren has rolled out a car that is lacking relative to the rest of the mid-field.
“That’s good, it’s good to get those good results in early because there’s going to be some bumps in the road as we go through the season,” Hill said.
“I think all that people look for is that the guy is improving and learning, and if he keeps doing that, the trajectory is going to be improving through the season.
“There are going to be moments, there are going to be hiccups. Every driver has a bad moment somewhere where they’ve made a mistake, and it’s been costly, and they get criticism for the first time, and that can be tough to take.
“But I think he’s got a good head on his shoulders, so he should be fine. I think Australia should be optimistic for Oscar.
“It’s early days yet, and he needs the car, McLaren need to provide him with a more competitive car, but he’s doing well already,” he added.
“I hope he can celebrate his home grand prix, of course he’s Melburnian, so it’s even more special to him, I’d think.”
Piastri will contest the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix for the first time on April 2 at the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit.
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