By Aaron Cordy
FIRST steps on the road to greatness take many forms. For Formula One rising star Oscar Piastri, the ride to success has been driven largely by his family, including his beloved Grandfather, Hugh Macfadyen.
Hugh shared an insight into Oscar’s early years and rise to fame as a guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Shepparton on Tuesday, June 17.
Oscar started racing remote-controlled cars at a national level before beginning his karting career in 2011. In 2014 he went professional and competed in various Australian races and championships before competing in Europe the following year.
“He had a go at go-karting and James Sera (a famous Australian go-karter) said, ‘this kid’s got something.’ Oscar had a go-kart in his house, and that’s where it progressed,” said Hugh.
“He raced all over Australia. I was fortunate to be able to go to Tassie, New South Wales, Adelaide, and Queensland as a chaperone for him because he was only little. I used to go with him on the boat and his dad had to pay, which I thought was really good.”
Trips to the UK and Europe soon followed before a permanent move was made for the young Piastri, and the opportunity to take his drive to the next level followed.
Oscar’s story was by no means straightforward from go-karts to Formula One, but a proud Hugh shared some of the inside story with the crowd at Rotary, as well as a video of the young champion’s rise.
Back when Oscar was tearing around in a go-kart, Hugh didn’t imagine the heights his grandson would reach, but he never doubted Oscar once he made the big time.
“When people say, you know, how do you think he’ll go in Formula One? I just make the statement that if they give him a good car, it’s all up to the car and the driver, but you’ve got to have a good car,” said Hugh
Oscar is certainly making the most of his car.
