Former racer Alain Prost recently expressed his admiration for Oscar Piastri. The young Australian has been compared to the four-time world champion, and now Prost confirms that he too sees the similarities. Both are said to have a thoughtful approach to racing, where every maneuver is carefully planned. Piastri is honored that Prost himself makes this comparison: “That’s incredibly cool.”
Alain Prost and Oscar Piastri have worked together in the past at Alpine. The Frenchman served as an external advisor for the team, while Piastri was still part of the training school in Enstone. During the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, Prost expressed his appreciation for the Australian, who has been leading the Formula 1 World Championship since April. “The way he behaves on the track is very good,” Prost praised his former pupil. “It’s a bit like what I did; thinking about the right overtaking maneuver and trying to outsmart your opponent.”
During the Grand Prix weekend in Hungary, Piastri was asked about Prost’s comments. He responded that he finds it ‘incredibly cool’ that the Frenchman says this about him, although he also admitted that it is becoming increasingly difficult to compare different Formula 1 eras with each other. “I’ve heard that comparison from a few people and I see what they mean,” said Piastri. Former driver and commentator Martin Brundle was one of the first to compare him with Le Professeur.
Then and Now
“At the same time, it’s also very different,” the Australian continued. “In the past, there were obviously a lot more reliability issues in Formula 1, and drivers themselves also caused a lot more problems. So in some ways, it’s difficult to make a comparison, but the mentality can be the same – trying to be as consistent as possible,” Piastri compared himself to Prost.
According to Piastri, a driver simply cannot take too many risks in the fight for the world championship. “If you’re fighting for first and second place, the difference is seven points,” he explained. “But if you don’t finish the race, you might end up eighteen points or more behind. That’s why it’s so important to finish races, be consistent, and not take unnecessary risks. That has never changed. So yes, perhaps the mentality is the same – and in the past, I think that’s worked out pretty well,” he concluded with a grin.
