How McLaren’s Oscar Piastri keeps his cool in the F1 heat

SINGAPORE – A heat hazard has been declared for the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix this weekend, though there is one cool cucumber who will not be sweating: Oscar Piastri.

In a sport where tensions run high and tempers can flare, the levelheaded Australian is known as a calm, collected driver with his measured radio messages and witty remarks.

“Ha! First F1 win, thank you everyone, thank you very much,” was his matter-of-fact reaction when he won his first race at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2024.

He was equally unflappable at the 2025 Italian Grand Prix, when he was asked to let teammate and championship rival Lando Norris – who was behind him after a slow pit stop – past. Piastri said then: “We said that a slow pit stop was part of racing. I don’t really get what’s changed here. But if you really want me to do it, then I’ll do it.”

That composure has reaped rewards for the McLaren driver, who has nine race wins since making his F1 debut in 2023.

Looking a little weary as he spoke to The Straits Times at the paddock on Oct 8, the 25-year-old soldiered on like the trooper he is known to be.

“It’s part of how I am as a person. It’s also something that I’ve worked on. I learnt quite early on in my career that trying to stay calm is when I’m at my best,” he said.

“Getting your emotions out at certain points is important as well. I always say that the radio is a button for a reason, so not everything that I say is heard.”

His imperturbable nature has also resulted in fans creating memes of his similar facial expression when he is happy, sad or angry. It has also drawn comparisons with four-time F1 champion Alain Prost, who was known for his calm approach to racing.

Piastri added: “I’m always kind of reminding myself what the target is and trying to stay in the moment. It’s as simple as what you want to do well in the next corner, what you want to do well in the next lap.”

Take the recent rain-delayed Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, where the team took a gamble and put him on the medium compound tyres on the restart after a suspended start procedure.

It was the wrong decision as the track was not ready for slicks and all the drivers who were on slicks ended up at the back of the pack when racing resumed.

Instead of losing his temper, Piastri spent nearly two minutes on the radio patiently describing track conditions and convincing the team he had to swop to wet tyres.

His patience paid off and he eventually boxed for intermediate tyres, while teammate Norris stayed out. Piastri finished sixth in Sepang, while the latter was ninth.

“Especially when you can’t control it, you try to work on the things you can control,” he recalled.

“We were on the wrong tyres, but I couldn’t do anything to change that. The only thing I could do was focus on what was next and try to have as good a race as I could from there.

“You can’t change the past. You can’t change some of the decisions you’ve made, and you just have to focus on what you can actually change in that moment.”

Frustration can get to him at times, he admitted, adding: “I can go one of two ways when I’m frustrated. Either I can become even more quiet, or I get a bit more emotional, probably a bit more sarcastic in some of my comments. There are definitely signs.

“The things that genuinely frustrate me are the ones where you feel like you can do something and you didn’t, or you should have done something differently.”

Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, Piastri sits seventh in the drivers’ standings with 128 points and is mathematically out of the championship race. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli is top with 320 points.

Reigning constructors’ champions McLaren are currently third with 316 points behind Mercedes (556) and Ferrari (405).

But no matter what position he is in, Piastri just wants to keep calm and “keep trying to do the best job that you can”.

“You always want to try and learn things, prove to yourself and others what you can do,” he added.

“We’re always fighting for points. Even if it’s not always a win or a podium, there’s always things worth fighting for.”

Laura Chia is a journalist covering breaking news and current affairs, with an interest in sports.