(Motorsport-Total.com) – Oscar Piastri had the special opportunity to dive into the past of Formula 1 at the fan festival ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. The McLaren driver sat in Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 world championship car and was enthusiastic about the experience afterwards.
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“It was cool. It’s always fun to drive an older car,” says Piastri. “The sound was quite special, somewhat simpler, and the feeling inside is pretty cool. Of course, it’s a great day for us as a team, but driving a naturally aspirated V8 was cool.”
Emotions in the historic McLaren
The Australian took the opportunity not only for a nostalgic look back but also for a comparison with the current Formula 1. During a media session, he was asked what he likes best and least about the new regulations era.
“I can still call myself a Formula 1 driver. That’s always something cool,” Piastri says first with a smile. He did not want to directly assign a clear disadvantage to the current regulations. “It’s hard to see something negative. I don’t know.”
Looking at the past and future of Formula 1
At the same time, he looks back at the 2008 car and draws a thought for the future from it. “Seriously, when I drove a 2008 car yesterday and saw some of the cool cars from the past, it would be very cool to bring some of those things back for the future. As for the product, we are obviously making changes to improve it.”
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Other drivers also commented on the current generation of rules. Sergio Perez, for example, winks at his childhood. “I was very glad that I played a lot of Mario Kart as a little boy, so I have a lot of preparation for this new era,” says the Mexican.
Complexity of the current technology
Nico Hülkenberg, in turn, emphasizes the complexity of the current technology but also sees an appeal in it. “They are quite different and sometimes that can also be exciting when you have to learn things anew and try to find an advantage over the competition,” he explains.
At the same time, however, he emphasizes the difficulties: “Preparing the energy for a qualifying lap was very difficult. Small things had very big consequences. I think some of that should be improved with the current adjustments to make it cleaner and simpler.”
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