The testing he did with an old Alpine gave him a head start, but that programme ended in the summer of 2022 after his move to McLaren was announced.

He didn’t sit in a racing car in the second half of the year, and his Bahrain debut was his first race since the 2022 F2 finale some 15 months earlier.

He not only had to go through the usual rookie learning process but also had to do it with a car that was uncompetitive and difficult to drive in the early races of the season. In the second half, his growing experience and a much-improved MCL60 gave him the opportunity to shine.

With his hectic first year behind him, and having had a winter to catch his breath, he now has an opportunity to make a further step. His team boss Andrea Stella has an intriguing take on how Piastri has improved in the past 12 months.

"We have seen, if I compare to last year in Bahrain, much more – let's say – self-awareness,” says the Italian. “Like [understanding] where the limit of the car is, where the limit in terms of him being a rookie is.

“Sometimes when you are a rookie you need to explore so many options in terms of driving that you are not sure if it's me, that I need to drive in a different way, or is it the car that needs to behave in a different way?

“I feel now he is much more aware, much more rapidly, of 'I need to adapt in this way, in this place. But the car needs to do this for me.' So this awareness has definitely improved.”

Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: McLaren

Stella says that the change in Piastri was evident during last week’s test in Bahrain, his first proper chance to enjoy any extended running away from the pressures of a race weekend since the same session a year earlier.

“Day one already, while he was doing some continuous laps, he made a click in terms of performance,” says Stella. “And then from that point onwards, he kind of took these improvements into the next run.

“So this happens much, much quicker. That's the main thing that was apparent to me. And also, I would say, this awareness that I referred to from a driving point of view, I can see also in his interaction with the engineers, with the rest of the team. So a much more mature driver.”

Asked by Motorsport.com if Stella’s assessment rings true – particularly as to knowing if performance gains can come from himself or from the set-up – Piastri agrees.

“When you've got the experience to compare to, it gives you a much quicker baseline, and a much better baseline on whether it's something with the car or something with me,” says a “more relaxed” Australian.

“And because there's so many things that are still similar or the same as last year, it makes that quite easy to kind of pick up. And also just with a year of experience in anything, that self-awareness becomes much better.

“Also probably at the end of last season it was a pretty tough few months for everybody. When I came back at the start of this year, and including this test, I've kind of realised just how draining last season was.

“I feel like I'm a bit sharper again now, and able to be a bit more self-aware. I think that comes with experience, but also just with other things as well.