Oscar Piastri looked at home behind the wheel of Supercars Ford Mustang, according to Tickford star Cam Waters, after the two drivers took part in a private exhibition day at Calder Park last week.

Piastri took to the outer-suburban circuit in a special-liveried Gen3 Mustang in a closed-door event with Waters and other Monster Energy-backed athletes.

Despite reportedly missing a gear early in his drive and preferring not to right-foot brake, the nine-time grand prix winner was quickly up to speed in his 1.3-tonne Ford.

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His rapid adaptation impressed Waters, with whom he shared the track, especially after the nine-time grand prix winner revealed he’d never driver a touring car before.

“I was a bit blown away that he even said that,” Waters said. “But we got in and had a lot of fun.

“I was pretty happy he looked after my race car, because I need that this weekend, but he got in and he’s a natural, obviously, and was right up to speed straight away.

“I said, ‘Mate, if you need something for Bathurst, I’ve got a co-drive for you, just don’t tell [co-driver Mark Winterbottom] just yet.’”

Piastri was similarly enthused by his experience, enjoying his time at the wheel of the rough-and-ready V8 machine.

“First time driving a race car with a roof on it, which was cool,” he said. “It’s incredibly different to an F1 car.

“I think it was nice being able to look at kerbs and go, ‘I can hit that’, not ‘If I hit that, I’m going to break either my back or something on the car’. That was cool.

“Just a very different experience — much lower grip, less downforce, less power. There’s a bit more going on when you’re in the car.”

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Piastri, as is customary for any Australian driver at the world stage, had previously suggested he might one day consider having a go in a Supercars machine around Mount Panorama, though last week he said it wasn’t something he’d think about until after his F1 career had ended.

“At the moment I’m very much focused on F1, obviously, and with the calendar we have, there’s certainly not going to be a Bathurst co-drive anytime soon,” he said. “But who knows. When I retire, maybe I’ll think about it.”

Piastri wasn’t the only F1 driver to sample a Gen3 car last week, with 35-time grand prix starter and 2014 GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer getting behind the wheel of Anton de Pasquale’s Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro at Albert Park.

“That was a huge amount of fun,” he said. “I had a run as a passenger last year and you could feel the grip and the speed, and it was really impressive, but to actually get behind the wheel is very cool.

“Trying to slide a little bit, trying to feel the limit of grip, feeling the power the car’s got as well.

“It’s heavy, it’s got some grunt, it’s got power, but braking distances are all early. The car’s able to ride the kerbs a lot more.

“It’s also way more forgiving. I crashed last time I was here in Formula 1, so I was trying to make sure I didn’t do the same in the last corner.

“It was honestly so fun to drive.”