They call him an “ice-cold angel”

Oscar Piastri staggers for a moment. He almost falls backwards as he climbs into the cockpit of his racing car, then he just manages to stay on his feet. The typical pose of all Formula 1 winners is still unfamiliar to the Australian. The triumph in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last Sunday was only the second for the McLaren driver in the premier class.

At just 23 years old, Piastri drove like an experienced driver. With a spectacular overtaking maneuver, he pushed Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc out of the lead after the first third of the race in Baku, before defending himself brilliantly against the Monegasque for over an hour. It is possible that the industry saw a future world champion that afternoon.

It was an irony of fate that just before the last race weekend, Piastri had been asked to help his team-mate Lando Norris. Piastri initially complied without much argument, because rebellion is not his style. He is so determined that he doesn’t waste energy, especially not on small talk. He simply asserted that he could still win races – which he promptly did afterwards. Because Norris, whom he was supposed to support, had messed up in Baku and a team order would have made no sense.

A worthy successor to Kimi Räikkönen

The team order at McLaren, the team with the greatest harmony at the moment, was vaguely formulated and should be handled on a situation-by-situation basis. After all, who has two potential world champions in their racing team? And so Piastri was there in Baku when Norris robbed himself of his chances. Thanks to the equal strength, the British team is back at the top of the constructors’ championship for the first time in ten years. Red Bull Racing seems to have already written off this title.

It is quite possible that the successful McLaren team boss Andrea Stella will now have a new luxury problem. If Piastri, who has only made 39 Formula 1 appearances, maintains his consistency and good form, he can overtake both Norris and Verstappen in the remaining seven World Championship races. Compared to his team-mate, Piastri is only 32 points behind, and the latest success should give him additional impetus. Before the Singapore GP next Sunday, Norris is still 59 points behind the struggling World Championship leader Max Verstappen.

What speaks for Piastri: He seems more determined than Norris. In the scene, they call it a “killer instinct”. But that doesn’t really fit the driver with the boyish face. A German magazine has therefore called Piastri an “ice-cold angel”.

For most people, however, the rising star of the year is simply the new “Iceman” of Formula 1 and thus a worthy successor to the Finn Kimi Räikkönen. Just as cool, just as fast, but much more communicative, clearly more structured and, above all, a more complete driver. The almost painful lack of emotion combined with a healthy stubbornness was expressed by Piastri in Baku in the aforementioned spectacular duel with Leclerc.

Piastri, who was 25 metres behind the Ferrari, came out of nowhere, squeezed past on the inside, balanced over the curb – and drove off. A scene that should never have happened in this way. Shortly before, his race engineer Tom Stallard had warned him: “Start gently with your fresh tyres.” But the driver preferred to trust his instincts: “I thought that if I didn’t take this chance, I wouldn’t get another one. The risk was big, but I just had to do it.”

He claims his title based on his performance. His manager Mark Webber praises him: “Oscar approaches things very methodically.” “Clinical” would perhaps be a more appropriate term. When asked about his laconic manner, Piastri replied that his relaxed character was an expression of his personality.

Motorsport has made him this way: “You are confronted with many things that you cannot control. Accepting that is a decisive factor in my ability to remain calm.” In a sport where everything is pushed to the limit, Piastri believes it is a fine line that he has learned to walk: “For me, concentration means not being too lethargic – but also not being too excited.”

It remains to be seen whether and when cooperation will turn into opposition

Andrea Stella works at McLaren with a similar calmness. As a trained engineer, he is in love with detail, clear in his judgment, and true to his principles. But he also studies people and relies on the emotional component. That is why he resisted a team order in favor of Norris for a long time, and Stella did well to keep the peace in the house.

In fact, it was the designated number one driver Norris who played a significant role in Piastri’s victory in Baku. During the pit stop phase, he blocked Sergio Pérez in the Red Bull until Piastri was able to return to the track ahead of the Mexican and then launch his attack on the lead. “That’s why 50 percent of the victory belongs to Lando,” says Stella, “that’s what we mean by team performance.”

It remains to be seen whether and when the cooperation will turn into a competition. Norris has the same talent as Piastri, but appears more nervous and brooding. When it was pointed out that he was now the most successful driver of the last seven races and thus of the Formula 1 summer, Piastri responded with the expected composure: “Perhaps someone else was the best of the last eight races.” He just doesn’t try to put a positive spin on the world.