18/08/2025
NEWS STORY
One of the sport's most successful talent scouts, Helmut Marko believes that Oscar Piastri has the potential to be one of F1's greats.
The driving force behind the foundation of the Red Bull Junior Team in 2001, Marko's protege's having included Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly and many more.
Indeed, the success of the Red Bull young driver scheme prompted its rivals to follow suit, with Alpine - in the form of the Renault Sport Academy - 'discovering' Piastri in 2020 months after he secured the Formula Renault Eurocup.
Later that year he conducted his first test for the F1 team, with further tests in 2021 and 2022. It was in mid-2022, of course, that it all went wrong for the French team, which initially appeared to have agreed a deal to loan the Australian to Williams for 2023 but then announced that he would in fact be replacing Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin.
The Australian insisted otherwise, and following the intervention of the Contract Recognition Board he was declared a free agent and subsequently signed to McLaren.
Marko, talking to F1 Insider, admits that Piastri's is a rare talent.
"Piastri has the nerve, is more consistent, and always gets the best out of himself. I've never seen him so emotionally charged," says the Austrian. "Norris may be faster over a lap, but overall I see Piastri ahead.
"He has had an incredible career and is improving year after year," he adds. "He had some major fluctuations last year, depending on the track, but that's no longer the case.
"He still has a long way to go," he admits, "but the potential to become a truly great driver is there, though."
As for McLaren's decision to allow its drivers to race one another, Marko, who has never countenanced such a strategy, believes it could work against the Woking team.
"As long as you are so dominant, you can stay ahead without team orders," he says. "I think it's very sporting that they haven't used them yet.
"But when things get tighter, it's certainly a disadvantage if two top drivers take points away from each other. But that's not the case at the moment, with the lead they have, they're not risking anything."
Of course, for the rest of us, it poses what should be the true highlight of the second half of the season.