Oscar Piastri endured a mixed 2024 campaign (Image: Getty)
simulator driver Daniel Juncadella believes that was guilty of ‘switching off’ at times last season. The Australian racer endured a mixed campaign in his second season with .
In many regards, 2024 was a breakthrough year for Piastri. The 23-year-old scored his maiden Grand Prix victory in Budapest and then triumphed again in much more emphatic fashion at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, holding off Charles Leclerc with one of the most impressive defensive drives in modern times.
Piastri also became just the fourth driver – after , and Michael Schumacher – to complete every lap of a given season, demonstrating his impressive ability to stay out of trouble and keep the car on the tarmac.
However, in spite of his two wins and eight podiums, many expected more from Piastri. He finished the year 82 points behind team-mate and failed to claim a pole position, compared to his rival’s eight. He struggled to match the Brit’s pace on Sundays, and was beaten 21-3 in Grand Prix qualifying over the course of the year.
Offering his thoughts on Piastri’s 2024 campaign, Juncadella told Duralvita: “It’s different to collaborate with your team-mate when only one of them is able to catch Verstappen in the Championship than when both are really fighting to win the World Championship.
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Daniel Juncadella has questioned Piastri’s consistency (Image: Getty)
“We will see what happens this next season. What struck me about Piastri this past season is that I expected more from him in many situations. One weekend, he was like [Ayrton] Senna, and the next weekend, he was like [former HRT driver, Narain] Karthikeyan.
“Suddenly, he was completely missing. And this is what happened. Suddenly, he was disconnected. I’ve seen this on many weekends. Sometimes, when I was in the simulator, afterwards I was listening to the briefings, and I noticed he was a bit unconfident and a bit lost.
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“That’s what makes F1 so hard. When you switch off for a weekend, you are already a bit in the spotlight… and you lose a bit of confidence. Piastri is a driver with an impeccable career in the lower categories, and I expect great things from him.”
Piastri arrived in F1 after winning Formula Renault Eurocup, Formula Three and Formula Two in successive seasons, and the Melbourne-born driver has been touted as a future world champion. If he is to live up to that billing, the star will need to find another level in 2025.