Oscar Piastri has made his mark in the Formula 1 grid racing for McLaren in his first two years, following his championship wins in Formula 2 and 3. In his rookie year, he scored his first F1 podium in the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix, and he continues to impress. This year, he secured his first two wins in F1, placing first at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix so far.
Growing up, Piastri always had a competitive spirit, and with his family’s background in the automotive industry, his love for racing blossomed. “I started racing remote control cars first at about six years old, and then when I was nine or 10, I went to go-karts. Once I drove a go-kart, I knew I loved it, and just wanted to keep going from there.”
Piastri’s pre-race ritual includes balancing race expectations, like the driver’s parade, with getting his body ready. “I normally do the same warm-up before each race and session; just some skipping, some resistance band stuff, getting my neck warmed up. But if it’s a hot race, I do an ice bath too,” he says. Although he doesn’t listen to music before a race, he listens to house music whenever he wants to hype himself up.
With intense driving conditions and a busy schedule of constant travel, Piastri practices self-care by catching up on sleep. “It’s tricky, especially with all the traveling and trying to get used to the time zones. Trying to get as much sleep as I can – when I can – is important,” he says. Luckily for him, he can fall asleep anywhere. “There’s not really a trick, I just have an innate ability to do it.”
Racing is also a mental sport, and Piastri has learned to control the things he can and not worry about the things he can’t. “I think it’s human nature to be worried about everything going on. But if you boil it down to the things you can control and can’t, the problems become a lot smaller. Then, you can put things into action and try to solve them. There’s a lot of uncontrollable things in racing, and it’s the same in life,” he says.
As F1 races across the Americas in the latter half of the season, Piastri is checking off his bucket list, including getting a pair of cowboy boots and indulging in authentic barbecue. Ahead, he shares his current must-have products, including his go-to protein powder and travel essentials.
