Australian racer Oscar Piastri will make his Formula 1 debut with McLaren subsequent season, and forward of his maiden marketing campaign he defined why he is chosen #81 as his race quantity when he graduates to motor sport’s prime tier.
Piastri was snapped up by McLaren after a tug-of-war with Alpine, with the 2021 Formula 2 champion opting to switch compatriot Daniel Ricciardo on the papaya staff. He ran #28 in a personal check on the wheel of McLaren’s MCL35M in late November, and within the post-season Abu Dhabi check, however is about to race with #81 in 2023.
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“Correct, it will be [#81], as long as nobody pinches that before we put in my number, but I think that’s pretty safe!” stated Piastri on In the Fast Lane, the official podcast of the Australian Grand Prix.
“Eighty-one was the number I had in karting. The story of how I got 81 is not particularly interesting but I’ll explain it anyway…”
The 21-year-old, who received the 2021 Formula 2 Championship however sat on the sidelines as Alpine’s reserve driver in 2022, defined: “When I did my first race I needed to decide a quantity for my first race and the kart store I went to solely had quantity ones in inventory, and it needed to be a one or two digit quantity.
“I clearly couldn’t be primary as a result of yeah, for apparent causes, so I used to be truly quantity 11 for my first couple of races, after which we entered – I feel it was the Victorian state titles – and any individual had already entered as quantity 11.
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“I don’t know what inspired me to pick 81 but I changed the first one for a number eight, and it stuck ever since. So, there you go!”
Piastri will develop into the primary driver to hold #81 since drivers have been in a position to decide on their race quantity in 2014, whereas fellow rookie Logan Sargeant will sport #2 for Williams in 2023.