Oscar Piastri rejects ‘Ice Boy' nickname after claiming Spanish Grand Prix pole position

7NEWS

2 days ago

Oscar Piastri has acquired a reputation for keeping cool under pressure, even after winning, but just don't call him 'Ice Boy'.
The Australian driver, leading the Formula One championship for dominant McLaren, was offered the nickname after taking pole position with a mighty lap in the heat of qualifying for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.
A reporter afterwards suggested Piastri could be the progeny of Finnish 'Iceman' Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion for Ferrari, such was his nonchalant attitude.
'I'm not sure I want to go under the name 'Ice Boy',' replied the Australian, raising a laugh from others in the room.
'I think the emotions are different each time. Certainly, there's been qualifyings and races where it's not been nonchalant and there's been a lot of emotion behind them.
'But then there's others where you go out and you know that if you do a good enough job, you can achieve the result you want.
'Don't get me wrong, it's incredibly satisfying, but I think I'm just not a particularly emotional person. That's just how I am, really.'
Piastri added that he could have his emotional moments but he also knew that Saturday was only part of the job done and the real celebrating could wait until after Sunday's race.
The 24-year-old has won four of the eight races this season and Saturday was his fourth pole of the campaign.
He is three points clear of teammate Lando Norris, who won from pole in Monaco last Sunday to close the gap, but has shown no sign of feeling the pressure.
Norris leaned on Piastri for a tow in the final part of qualifying in a bid to nab pole, to which Piastri said: 'Cheeky.'
'It has been a good weekend so far. The car has been mega, and glad to put in some good laps as well,' Piastri said.
'It is a long way to Turn 1 so I got to make sure I make a good start.
'It's a nice thing to have, starting on pole, but it's not the end of the weekend. The points are tomorrow. After the races, it depends a bit on the race.
'If you've had a battle with someone the whole race and then you win, then yeah, you're pretty pumped up.
'But if you've got a bit of a gap, then you kind of know with a few laps to go that it's going to go your way, and then it doesn't spill over so much.'
Quickest in both the second and third practice sessions prior to qualifying, Piastri added: 'I always felt confident pole was on the cards so I am glad we pulled it off.'
He has won from pole position in China and Bahrain, while he also pipped a pole-sitting Verstappen to win in Saudi Arabia and Miami.
His only blemish was losing to Verstappen after taking pole in Imola two rounds ago.
Meanwhile, Piastri's McLaren boss Andrea Stella said the team had not been at all concerned by the flexi-wing saga, which rivals had hoped might slow the defending constructors' champions.
There was a lot of talk in the paddock this week ahead of F1 reducing the flexibility of the car's front wings, which at high speed can reduce the effect of drag on a car.
'It entertained to have this kind of debate but our simulations said everything was very small. We weren't concerned from this point of view,' Italian Stella told Sky Sports television.