Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Lando Norris arrived in F1 as outstanding rookies within a year of each other, sporting brilliant junior records that had already marked them out as likely frontrunners.
Oscar Piastri – with Formula Renault Eurocup, F3 and F2 titles scored in consecutive seasons – seems to be the next in line, but he’s already had a tumultuous time around the sport’s pinnacle. Unlike his predecessors, the Australian wasn’t able to jump straight into an F1 race seat after his stellar F2 campaign, and then there was the unsavoury tug of war for his services between Alpine and McLaren.
