"We've known each other for 8 years now": Oscar Piastri picks his best friend from the F1 paddock

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri claimed that Williams F1 driver Logan Sargeant was his best friend on the grid. The Aussie driver has been with the Woking-based team since the beginning of the 2023 season and impressed everyone with his rapid progress in the sport.

Since making his debut, Piastri has matched his teammate Lando Norris at every step and earned himself a long-term deal with the British team that would see him racing for them until the end of 2026 at least.

Williams F1 driver Logan Sargeant too made his debut alongside Oscar Piastri but hasn't lit up the sport with his performances and remains on the cusp of losing his seat for the following season.

The two newcomers have been racing against each other for quite some time now and even battled for the F3 title which the Aussie narrowly edged out. In his interview with F1.com, Oscar Piastri mentioned that the American remains his 'best friend' on the grid despite racing against him for eight years.

He said:

"I would probably say Logan [Sargeant]. We’ve known each other for eight years now, and raced against each other while we were team mates in F3, so I would say we know each other the best. I’m obviously getting to know Lando [Norris] better and better too. But I would probably say Logan."

Oscar Piastri previews the Spanish GP this weekend

Oscar Piastri stated that he was pleased to be fighting at the front of the grid consistently and was happy with his recent run of performances.

As per PitPass, the McLaren driver predicted a strong race in Barcelona as he vouched to rely on his experience in the junior categories. He said:

"Canada was another strong weekend for the team and I was pleased to continue a productive run of results from Imola and Monaco. It's a nice feeling to be consistently fighting at the front and being in the mix for the big prizes.

"I've had some decent performances in Barcelona in the junior categories and the car feels in a good place thanks to all the hard work put in by the whole team. I'm looking forward to touching down in Spain."

The Aussie's confidence was backed up by his team principal Andrea Stella who was adamant that the MCL38 could perform on varied track layouts, adding:

"While we're confident that the MCL38 can perform on merit at different types of tracks, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will still offer a unique challenge."

He also claimed that rival teams would bring upgrades so it was "important for us to keep our focus and make every weekend count."

Oscar Piastri finished the 2023 Spanish GP in P13 and failed to score a point, a stat that would look to change this weekend.