Interview
‘Other drivers may have been going crazy’ – Rosin on what sets Piastri apart from his rivals
In Sochi, Oscar Piastri became just the fourth driver to take a hat-trick of poles in Formula 2 and PREMA Racing Team Principal René Rosin has lauded it as a “remarkable” achievement, but warned the Australian that he mustn’t step off the gas now.
Piastri leads the Drivers’ Championship on 178 points, and along with teammate Robert Shwartzman, has PREMA on course for their second successive clean sweep in F2, with the Italian team also topping the Teams’ standings on 313 points.
Piastri has won the last two Feature races and taken pole in each of the last three rounds, joining Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Alex Albon in achieving the feat.
“Getting three pole positions in a row between Silverstone, Monza and Sochi, was remarkable,” said Rosin. “The Feature Race wins in Monza and Sochi were very good, he is doing a very good job and exactly what we were all expecting of him.
“He is very confident, very comfortable with the team and the car and everything is getting easier for him. The format doesn’t help him a lot because, with three races, anything is possible. Even though he is 36 points ahead, it is quite easy to catch him up.
“He just needs to continue to do what he has constantly been doing. He needs to take it race by race, as we always say, and achieve the maximum that he can do. Then at the end of the season, we’ll see where we are.”
PREMA led Mick Schumacher to the crown last season, two years on from Leclerc’s title success with the team in 2017. Both drivers have gone on to compete in Formula 1, with Schumacher at HAAS F1 Team and Leclerc at Ferrari. Asked how Piastri compares with the duo, Rosin said: “This is a common question. Everybody is different, they all have their own characteristics.
“We are just trying to do our best with all of them. Oscar has impressive qualities, he is always very focused and very relaxed when he approaches something, even in difficult moments. We are doing the best that we can, and the goal, of course, is to try and win the Championship.”
Piastri has spent the past two seasons with PREMA, winning the 2020 Formula 3 crown with the team on the back of winning Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019 with R-ace GP, and Rosin said that it’s the Alpine junior’s mentality that sets him apart.
“He is a very mature driver, very calm and that is one of the characteristics that has impressed me a lot,” said Rosin. “He is capable of reflecting and working out what is best for himself at that moment.
“Last year when he was having issues with the DRS, he was always seeing the funny side of it and he was always able to get out of the s*** by himself, scoring good points. Other drivers may have been going crazy, shouting over the radio and then not scoring any points.
“Another example, this year in Silverstone he didn't have a good start, he got attacked by Zhou at the beginning, his pace wasn't great, and he dropped down (the order), but he ended up on the podium in third and achieved the maximum that he could have done in that race.”