Oscar Piastri on a difficult choice early in his career

      On the Off The Grid podcast, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri spoke about a difficult choice he had to make as a child...

      Oscar Piastri: "When I was fourteen I moved to Europe to pursue motorsport. For the first six months my father lived with me, and then he gave me a choice: stay in Europe, go to a boarding school and continue chasing my dream, or return home with him. I really enjoyed racing in Europe, competing with the best, and I decided not to go back.

      Of course I felt sad about leaving home, but I was driven by my dream and learned to switch off my emotions while keeping my passion for racing. That helps me a lot now. Although sometimes there would be a weekend or a whole week when I really wanted to go home, see everyone, and sleep in my own bed. Sometimes it was tough, but I always kept in mind a much bigger goal — to become a Formula 1 driver, if that were possible.

      I think most kids wouldn't like the idea of living in a boarding school. At first I didn't like it either. But sometimes you have to accept it in order to achieve your goal. Actually, it wasn't that bad — living with friends, in a new circle of people, was fun and allowed me to take my mind off racing a little."