Oscar Piastri & Jim Clark. More than just a fleeting resemblance?

Since Oscar Piastri burst onto the Formula 1 scene a couple of years ago, he’s earned himself a rep as a doer, rather than a talker. Some may say he doesn’t have much of a personality. I say he’s just shy. Yet he’s inevitably smiling and happy. And when Oscar does speak, he does so quietly, meticulously and to the point.

He also shies away from conflict and concentrates on the facts. His views. Some would say that explanation fits another, great driver like a glove. The late, great Jim Clark. Not just that, but Oscar even looks like Jim. Quite a lot, actually. Not that it makes any difference, but it’s certainly an intriguing observation.

All the more so when one lays their respective Formula careers over each other. Clark literally came out of nowhere. Against his family’s better judgement he started racing a DKW in 1956 and soon gained the attention of the Border Reivers team. For which he gained rapid repute as a wheel man driving Jaguar D Types and Porsches.

Jim shared a Border Reivers Lotus Elite to tenth overall and second in class alongside Sir John Whitmore in the 1959 Le Mans 24 Hour before Colin Chapman snapped the young Scot up to drive in Formula Junior, Formula 2 and Formula 1.

After a few non championship rounds, Jim made his Grand Prix debut in Holland in June 1960, scoring his first podium in Portugal. He won his first race in a non-championship outing at Pau early in ’61. Still relatively unknown, Clark dominated the end of season 1961 South African Springbok Series before winning his first GP on his 34th F1 start at Spa Francorchamps in ’62.

He lost that 1962 championship to Graham Hill’s BRM when Jim’s Climax broke while he was dominating the final round South African Grand Prix and on his way to the title. He’d also won three Grands Prix by the end of that season.

Oscar Piastri rose through a relatively unremarkable karting career. His early main circuit results never showed much promise either. Until he sprang to prominence taking the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019. He marched on to back to back Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles in 2020 and ’21 to earn a test driver gig at Renault. Then McLaren stole him away as reserve driver. He never raced in 2022.

Like Lotus in 1961, McLaren Mercedes was finding its feet when Oscar Piastri stepped up to a race seat in 2022. He scored points in his third race at home in Australia and steadily climbed up the grid as McLaren found pace, to end the season with a couple of podiums to his name. he went on to his first win on his 35th F1 start in Hungary last year, and won his third race in China last Sunday

Nothing would stop Jim Clark from utterly dominating the 1963 world Championship as he won seven of the ten races. Dominant early in ’64, the new Lotus 33 proved brittle and Clark ended third, before he took his second title in ‘65. Despite being outgunned in ’66, Clark still won a race with the recalcitrant BRM H16 powered Lotus 43. Some say that cost him a third title once Lotus swapped to the 49 DFV in ‘67.

None of this of course has any real relevance. But. Oscar Piastri not only looks like Jim Clark. His has a somewhat timid persona and a shy demeanour. Until he softly speaks perfect sense. Every time. Uncannily like Jim Clark, too. It also took Piastri 35 Formula 1 starts to win. And Clark 34. Never mind, the rest of their results until this point in Oscar’s career, are also weirdly alike.

That bodes very well for young Piastri, as much as it does for McLaren. Not sure if they have noted this comparison, but what Brown, Stella and the boys certainly is good enough to sign Oscar for the long term. For if Piastri continues to track Jim Clark as closely as he has so far, that’s not very good news for his, or McLaren’s rivals.

So please, McLaren. Just keep Oscar in an F1 car…