Four-time Formula 1 champion Alain Prost has revealed the part he has played in Oscar Piastri’s career as he backed the Australian driver in the 2025 championship.
The former non-executive director of Alpine told Karun Chandhok during an appearance on the prestigious Goodwood House balcony that he pushed Renault to sign Piastri to the Alpine Academy.
“I know Oscar much better because I was the one to push Renault to bring him in the academy a long time ago,” Prost explained. “They did not want to.
“I saw him driving in Formula 3 or even 4, and then Formula 2.”
Piastri, who currently leads the drivers’ championship with eight points over his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris, joined the Alpine Academy in 2020. After being a member for two years, Piastri signed with McLaren in 2023 following a contract dispute with the French team, made known by his now-famous social media post.
The 70-year-old saw a bit of himself in the current championship leader, arguing that he makes clever manoeuvres when overtaking.
“I like the way he behaves, you know, a little bit like me – thinking about when to do the right manoeuvre for overtaking and being a little bit more clever,” he continued.
“I like him, you know. You never know what’s going to happen, but this type of driver, normally they can make a progression.
“With some, if it’s only the driving skill, sometimes they are in a plateau. But I don’t know Lando very much. But honestly, for this type of championship, the best should win, and that’s it.”
With 12 races completed, the championship continues to heat up between the two McLaren drivers. Although the pair collided in Canada, resulting in Norris’s retirement from the race, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown is keen to continue to let them race.
“It’s the same rules,” he explained to the media in Silverstone. “Race each other hard, race each other clean, and try and get as many points on the board for the team. Then it’s up to them to decide who is in front of who.
“I think the relationship they have is fantastic. We’ve put a lot of time and effort into building our team and having chemistry within the team, and that starts with the drivers. I think you saw how they handled Canada, how they’ve conducted themselves, and I see no reason why they can’t have a big battle all the way to the end.
“May the best man win, and I’m sure they’ll shake hands and congratulate each other. Obviously, both of them want to win, but I see no reason why, knowing the personalities and the way they race, that they can’t remain very good team-mates.”