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Oscar Piastri has refuted claims that he shared a contentious post on his Instagram, which was swiftly removed while he was participating in the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The post, which appeared on his account, echoed remarks by former Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone. Ecclestone suggested that McLaren, Piastri’s team, favors his British teammate, Lando Norris. This statement aligns with the suspicions held by many fans regarding Piastri’s recent dip in championship performance.
Earlier in the season, the Australian driver was leading the championship by 34 points. However, recent races have seen a significant shift, with Piastri now trailing Norris by 24 points. This decline is attributed to his inability to secure a podium finish in the last five races.
On Friday, an intriguing quote from Ecclestone appeared on Piastri’s account, only to be removed shortly afterward. The quote stated, “McLaren prefers the English driver Norris.”
“Norris possesses more star quality and marketing allure for the team, with a stronger presence on camera and in publicity. That likely makes him a more appealing choice for McLaren,” the quote continued.
Oscar Piastri (pictured at the Las Vegas Grand Prix) has struggled as he deals with what fans perceive as bias towards his teammate Lando Norris
Pictured: The comments from former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone that were posted to Piastri’s Instagram account
The post (pictured) was hastily deleted, but that move came too late to put a stopper on the controversy
Fans initially thought it was a stunning from Piastri, who until now has toed the team line and not publicly criticised his England-based team over the decisions that helped lift Norris back to a clear-cut world championship lead.
However, Piastri said he had nothing to do with the post as he spoke out on Saturday.
‘I don’t know. I woke up this morning and saw it, so I don’t know,’ he told reporters.
‘Maybe I accidentally did it. Obviously, it was not intentional. But yeah, I didn’t know what had happened.’
At Monza, Piastri was sensationally ordered to give second place back to Norris following a slow pit stop for the Briton due to a faulty wheel gun.
The Hungarian Grand Prix saw Norris given a one-stop strategy that was key to his win, while Piastri was told to make two pit stops.
In Singapore, Piastri revealed his anger over the team radio when Norris hit Max Verstappen, launching the world champion into the Aussie’s car, leaving him to finish fourth.
McLaren refused to make Norris hand back the place, then celebrated winning the constructors’ championship on the podium without waiting for Piastri, who was waiting to talk to the media.
Many fans believe Lando Norris has climbed back to the lead in the drivers’ standings on the back of decisions that make a mockery of McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’
Piastri only has three races, Vegas included, to bridge the 24-point gap to Norris
Ecclestone went further with his take on what is happening at McLaren.
‘You can tell Piastri is upset and tired of them, and the discussions about them are getting on his nerves,’ he said.
‘The pressure is constantly increasing, and Piastri is frustrated that he can no longer win races so easily and that Norris is so clearly being favoured within the team.’
Ecclestone added that McLaren had ‘more often slowed down the Australian using various methods’.
The drama surfaced just after McLaren boss Zak Brown hailed Piastri’s fighting spirit, despite his struggles in the US, Mexico and Brazil.
‘Oscar’s definitely fighting back – I think one of his greatest strengths is he just gets in the zone,’ Brown said from the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The team CEO also opened up about how Norris is dealing with the villain status he has been saddled with as the favouritism drama refused to go away.
“The booing would have bothered him in the past but he recognises that was as much probably booing for me and how we’re treating it (the duel between teammates). So he’s in a great place. It’s not bothering him,” Brown said.
“And the best part is, it’s real, right? Sometimes you can go, don’t let that stuff bother you, but you can see it does.
‘He is just in a good place, he’s doing his thing… he’s just engaged, in the zone, totally focused but they’re both relaxed.
‘They’re not faking it. They’re chilled.’