F1 drivers raise key problem after huge McLaren announcement
Today at 01:10 PM
Oscar Piastri and Esteban Ocon have raised a key problem stopping drivers from competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside F1. The comments from the two drivers on the legendary event follow McLaren's announcement that it will enter the World Endurance Championship hypercar class from 2027. Several drivers in the F1 paddock are known to be keen on appearing in the 24-hour race, although not until their career in the pinnacle of motorsport is over. Piastri has a similar opinion. When asked if he would like to race at Le Mans, Piastri answered: "One day. But not for a while. I'm pretty happy in F1 at the moment." The Australian driver has ruled out ever competing in Le Mans whilst still racing in F1, with the title contender believing both require, and "deserve", full attention. "I don't think you do either championship justice by trying to juggle both," said Piastri. "It's probably actually not that detrimental to your F1 championship, but when you've got a lot at stake, as we do right now, and also just not giving Le Mans the respect it deserves from a preparation standpoint, I think that is not something you want to go into with being under prepared. "So I'll wait until I'm done with what I want to do in F1 and then I'll think about letting Zak give me a burn in a run." Haas' Ocon is another driver eager to race at Le Mans but is also part of the group that does not want to do it whilst in F1. "Not quite yet, no," said Ocon. "One day, definitely. I think, it's the dream of every driver to race at Le Mans one day. "As Oscar said, I'm very focused on my Formula 1 career at the moment, and looking at how many races we have, it's going to be quite complicated to mix it all together. "You can't do a half-half, you need full [concentration] on both. That's where my head is at the moment."
