It’s almost a plea, coming from Carlo Vanzini to the audience: “Piastri gives nothing to the media or to the show.”
He wins, he convinces, but he doesn’t excite: Oscar Piastri is the man of the moment in Formula 1, and the clear favorite for the championship title. Yet, the media struggle to find talking points about him. His calm demeanor brings no drama, no eye-catching stories — and after several races, that’s becoming a problem for fans who find it hard to get emotionally invested in his victories.
Carlo Vanzini’s Words
This is what Vanzini said on his YouTube channel: “We’re struggling to find topics. We were even discussing it in a meeting: should we hype up Oscar Piastri? Yes, of course we should. We even looked into his Tuscan roots, found a distant relative who drives an ambulance… it’s a nice story, sure. But the truth is, when it comes to putting on a show, he gives us practically nothing.”
“And that’s not really his problem — it’s ours. Maybe he’ll open up eventually, maybe he’s still shy, or maybe he’s just not fully comfortable yet. Or maybe… maybe that’s exactly his strength: being like this.”
Then comes the comparison with Sinner: “He wins a Grand Prix, and the first thing he does is go straight to the debrief. He doesn’t play to the cameras, doesn’t care for the showbiz part. He prefers to analyze, to understand, to stay in his own world. In a way, Jannik Sinner was the same: when he started winning incredible matches, it looked like no big deal. No jumping, no wild celebrations, no throwing rackets. It felt like it was his 20th Slam, when it was actually his first.”
“Maybe that’s what champions are like — it’s a trait. Being detached helps you stay clear-headed. Maybe that’s exactly what Norris still lacks: the ability to detach himself and handle everything, even the pressure. And in the end, even if Piastri is hard to talk about, we can still tell his story through results. He won everything: Formula Renault, Formula 3, Formula 2 — always at the first attempt. The only one to do it. Russell and Leclerc won F3 and F2, but Piastri added the Renault title too.”
“Sure, if you look at who he beat, it wasn’t Russell, Norris, or Albon. It was guys like Sargeant or other less well-known names. But still, he left Australia, came to Europe, and took the hard road. Maybe the right way to talk about him is through his management. Let’s talk about his manager, Mark Webber. His mission is clear: not to turn him into another Webber, but to make him a new Vettel.”
Vanzini closes with: “And from a media perspective, sure, it would help if Norris got back to being the leader: he sparks debates, gives us material, makes things interesting. But after this 1-2 in qualifying and the race, maybe we just have to accept that Piastri tells his story this way: with coolness, with precision, with results.”
Photo: McLaren