Team Principal Andrea Stella recently told the media that Oscar had performed “beyond what we expected,” but does the Australian agree with his boss, and has he met his own lofty targets?  

Nine races in, Oscar’s grand prix career remains very much in its infancy, but so far, the rookie has impressed the motor racing world with his quick adaptation to life in the top tier of single-seater racing.

There have been two top-10 finishes to date, and Oscar has regularly exploited the full potential of the MCL60. He’s made Q3 four times, one of which came in only his second race. The most recent of those was in the Canadian Grand Prix, where he qualified eighth. 

He narrowly missed out on the top 10 in Monaco and was disappointed not to have qualified higher than ninth in the Spanish Grand Prix following a minor mistake in the final sector.

“I think I have gotten up to speed pretty well,” Oscar says. “I am getting more experience in every race, and I am learning all of the time, and I feel like, generally, the pace has been pretty good.

“There have been a few mistakes here and there, which I am trying to get rid of, and a bit of inconsistency, but I think that on my good days, I have been on the pace, which has been nice so early on in my rookie year.”

Asked what has surprised him so far, he highlights those ups and downs as his key takeaway from the first eight rounds of his debut season.

“I think it is the inconsistency from track to track,” he continues. “We seem to be a bit up and down at the moment, but we are working on that. Otherwise, it is just how tight the competition is. Aston Martin made a big jump, which was a surprise, but it is so close from 10th on the grid backwards.

“Depending on the weekend, the order from 10th to 20th can be jumbled up from around five teams – it is incredibly tight. We have seen some exceptionally close qualifying sessions so far this year, and we have been on both the good and the bad end of those.”

Mistakes from the 22-year-old have been few and far between, although that hasn’t stopped him from scrutinising each one, as he and the team work to improve in every area. Debriefs are long and intense, with a lot of ground covered, but they always come away with clear and concise next steps.

“We are very thorough but also to the point, which is well reciprocated on both sides,” he says. “So, whilst we do dive into a lot of detail, we draw clear conclusions from it all, and I think that is a good way of working.

“That is something that I tried to do before I joined McLaren, so it is good that we are on the same page.”

As well as the usual hurdles of a debut F1 campaign, Oscar has also contended with a change of direction in car design. The first iteration of this new concept of car was unleashed at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and further upgrades are planned within the next few races and later on in the year. 

The 22-year-old has taken it all in his stride and explained the benefits of the new and improved MCL60 and the continuing work that is going on behind the scenes to make it even stronger.

“I think the upgrade we brought in Baku helped us out a bit,” he says. “It is in a bit of a different direction to how the car was previously, so there is more potential with the development of the car.

“To catch the top teams, we need more development, but I think we have been getting on top of the setup of the current car. We have been fine-tuning it and trying to get the last little bits out of it. I think we have nailed that part, and now we need some bigger bits to take that next step. 

“Generally, our car works when it is cold and damp, which we saw on Sunday in Monaco and in qualifying in Spain. I think that is the strength of our car right now, and that is where it has felt the most comfortable. In Saudi Arabia as well, when we were on a high grip circuit during the cool temperatures at night.”

Plenty of work remains to get us back among the frontrunners and in Oscar’s own adaptation to F1, but the Australian believes both are moving in the right direction and is pleased with the progress made.

Fan support during this period has been pivotal, and the Australian believes that the backing he’s received from the Papaya Army in his first few months as a McLaren driver will stay with him.

“The fans have been very welcoming and very supportive,” he says. “These have been tough times to go through as a McLaren fan, and people have been sticking with us through thick and thin, which has been great to see.

“We had my home race, which was an awesome experience that I will never forget. I look forward to the team's home race at Silverstone and to more McLaren support. “