Credits: IMAGO / HochZwei

F1 drivers need to be sharp when they are navigating their cars around a race track at over 200 mph and the smallest of mistakes can end up ruining one’s race. Oscar Piastri, however, doesn’t really believe in that. The Melbourne-born driver believes that consciously focusing hard on driving leads to things going wrong.

Appearing as a guest on the Apple Podcast, ‘Tailenders‘, Piastri revealed his driving rituals. The McLaren driver sings to himself during F1 races, claiming that the practice stops him from ‘over-focusing’ on the job at hand. “It’s weird, like, sometimes the best, I think always the best you drive is when you’re not thinking about driving.”

Having trained in different cars for years on end, F1 stars develop a natural ability to focus on the turns on the track as they come. Thus, maneuvering fast-moving machinery around a circuit becomes almost instinctive, which is what Piastri relies on.

When it comes to newer circuits, drivers take some time to get used to it. However, hours spent on the simulator ahead of the race make them extremely familiar with the layout.

As such, focusing extra hard on the driving element often ends up disrupting the rhythm, sending the driver’s instincts into a frenzy. Furthermore, Piastri also detailed how these elements become a part of the driver’s daily lives without them realizing it.

Oscar Piastri detailed how F1 training creeps into his daily life

Undergoing rigorous training to achieve perfection, F1 drivers end up adopting the same practices in their everyday life. Piastri, for instance, has developed  a habit while doing something as simple as walking down the road.

He tries to emulate an F1 car’s on-track movement sub-consciously, as he ends up taking a racing-line when he needs to go around the corner of some building. Plus, when the Aussie is driving somewhere and encounters a red light, there is an element of competitiveness within him that makes him want to be the first to get off the block.

Going to the supermarket too, has drivers bringing out their competitive spirit. First revealed by Sebastian Vettel, Piastri also agreed to want to ‘overtake‘ everyone else while using a trolley. Such instances happen regularly in the life of an F1 driver, without them consciously realizing it.