Oscar Piastri has expressed his appreciation for recent comparisons to Formula 1 legend Alain Prost, following hot on the heels of high praise from Bernie Ecclestone.
While his teammate Lando Norris is regarded as a stronger 2024 title contender, Piastri's own talent has been hailed by Ecclestone.
"The Australian, I think, is a magic guy," said Ecclestone, 93.
"He would, for sure, be world champion within the next two years if the car keeps performing the way it is. He really stands out amongst all the others."
Ecclestone's admiration for Piastri is not surprising, given that the young Australian has often been compared to Alain Prost, whom Ecclestone regards as the greatest F1 driver of all time.
"It's a comparison that I'm honoured by, especially because Alain was one of the most successful drivers in our sport," Piastri told Auto Motor und Sport. "I wasn't even alive when he was racing so I don't have the whole picture, but from what I hear or read about him, I do see some similarities between us."
"Prost had a very smooth and rounded driving style. He was very precise in his work. I can see that in myself too," Piastri added.
Piastri also confirmed that he knows the four-time world champion personally, having worked with Prost at Alpine before making his F1 debut.
"I spoke to him a few times when I was still at Alpine," Piastri revealed.
"It was incredibly interesting to talk to him and he also gave me some tips."
One of those tips might have been about avoiding unnecessary risks on track. Prost famously admitted that he drove at 99.9 percent of a car's potential to minimize incidents, but Piastri insists that driving at the limit is now essential.
"It's not quite like that now," Piastri said. "In our time you always have to drive at the limit. When Prost was racing, the cars were less reliable and not as safe, so going over the limit had much greater consequences than it does today. But you still can't go over the curbs every lap."
"Today it's about hitting the limit precisely. If you stay a tenth under, you're too slow. If you go over it, the tyres punish you. It's a fine line," Piastri concluded.
