Oscar Piastri admits 'car scared the c**p out of me' as McLaren star feared crash
Oscar Piastri made an appearance on the popular Tailenders podcast this week.
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri clearly isn’t one for vintage F1 cars. In fact, the Australian has now candidly described how one driving experience at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed last summer "scared the cr*p" out of him after he was handed a famous vehicle.
This week, Piastri was a special guest on the popular Tailenders cricket podcast, with BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James and his team hosting from the McLaren Technology Centre.
There, they met the 23-year-old driver, who is known to be a huge fan of the sport.
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As the group walked around the centre, James referred to the mass amount of cars on show as he asked the two-time F1 podium finisher: “What’s going on here?”
While pointing, Piastri then explained “Yeah so the car back there? James Hunt’s car. I’m pretty sure I actually drove that one at Goodwood (Festival of Speed) last year.
“I drove that car and I am so happy that I was born when I was because that car scared the c**p out me. Back then, the rules were quite different, so you can see how far forward the cockpit is so your legs actually go in front of the wheels.
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“So if you crash, your legs were basically the crash structure. That was my first concern. However, when I jumped in the car I went to shuffle myself down and put my feet where the pedals are and I had to shuffle my butt down.”
The late Hunt, who won his sole world title with McLaren in 1976, drove for the British team for three years. And Piastri also implied that he would not have enjoyed competing in the same era.
“When I put some pressure on my heels, the bottom of the car buckled underneath me and then popped back into place and that’s what’s separating me from the ground,” he added. “This is why I don’t drive what you’re describing there.”
Piastri seemed far more at home when giving tips to co-host Felix White, who has never learnt to drive, on how to handle the simulator. And the podcast comes at a time when the reputation of the former Alpine man is growing in F1 circles.
He currently lies sixth in the standings on 71 points, ahead of the likes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. And from the nine Grand Prix races so far, only once - in Miami - has he failed to register a top 10 finish.
