‘It’s a joke’: Dave Hughes fumes at ‘disrespectful’ Oscar Piastri snub

Comedian Dave Hughes has led outrage from Aussie F1 fans after Oscar Piastri was snubbed in a “disrespectful” act amid claims of bias.

Comedian Dave Hughes has hit out at the decision for the Formula One broadcast not to show Oscar Piastri’s winning moment at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Piastri had a flawless weekend in Bahrain, taking pole position in qualifying before blitzing the race to win by more than 15 seconds in a statement performance.

Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during racing. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.

But instead of showing Piastri crossing the finish line past the chequered flag, the television broadcast focused on the battle for second place between British drivers George Russell and Lando Norris.

Norris was hot on Russell’s tail but ultimately finished third behind the Mercedes driver, who escaped a time penalty for accidentally opening his Drag Reduction System (DRS) when there wasn’t a car directly in front of him.

The victory means Piastri is now just three points behind Norris in the championship, but Aussie fans were furious he was snubbed by the broadcast, which showed Piastri winning the race in a mini box on the screen.

“It’s the last lap, there’s like seconds to go, Oscar Piastri’s about to win, the Aussie bloody champ,” Hughes said on Instagram.

“You wouldn’t even know he’s in the race, crazy.

“At least they mentioned it but it’s still not on the big screen. Where’s Piastri? He’s got two more corners to go. That’s not Piastri, that’s Norris, who’s third.

“Can we see the winner cross the line, for f***s sake,” Hughes fumed.

“Oh, hang on, we’ve got it, there it is, he’s in a little box.”

As Sky Sports commentator David Croft congratulated Piastri for winning the race, Hughes wasn’t happy.

“Does he? What’s the f***ing camera on these two for then? It’s a joke.”

Oscar Piastri was relegated to the pop up small window on the broadcast. Photo: Fox Sports.

Hughes wasn’t the only viewer to complain about the TV coverage snubbing Piastri to focus on two British drivers battling for second place.

“I genuinely thought it was borderline disrespectful to not show Oscar Piastri coming over the line with the big box,” Matt Gallagher told the P1 podcast.

“When do you ever see an overtake into the final corner at Bahrain? Never.

“In any situation, apart from if it’s a championship fight and they’re fifth and sixth on the final lap in Abu Dhabi and they’re going for the world title, fine, then we put them in the mini box; someone else wins, congratulations.

“Any other scenario, you have the winner in the main feed and in a small box, if you want to show something.

“Oscar has not been shown the entire race because he’s dominated.

“He deserves that moment where everybody looks at him coming over the line to celebrate.”

Russell, Norris, Lewis Hamilton and Haas rookie Ollie Bearman are the four British drivers currently on the F1 grid.

Sky Sports broadcasts the F1 world feed, which produced by Formula 1 Management and distributed to TV rights holders.

Betting plunge sees Piastri takes edge as new F1 title favourite

Oscar Piastri’s win in Bahrain was the second of the season and the fourth of his career — taking him to second in the standings just three points behind his McLaren teammate.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella and Lando Norris celebrate after the Bahrain Grand Prix. (Photo by Fadel SENNA / AFP)

Norris struggled in Bahrain and while the British driver has finished on the podium on all four races so far this year, he said he was having issues coming to grips with his car.

Norris entered the season as the frontrunner to win the championship and end Max Verstappen’s reign of dominance, but Piastri’s strong start to the year has seen the Aussie edge ahead as the favourite to win this year’s title, according to the bookies.

Of course there are still 20 races to go this season, but Piastri is now a $2 favourite with several betting markets, at slightly shorter odds than his teammate after starting the season as long as $9.

Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle said ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix: “Piastri’s got the speed, he’s got the talent, and of course he’s getting more and more experienced, more and more comfortable with the McLaren team.

“I’ve spent a bit of time with him this week here and there, and he’s as horizontal in life as he is on the racetrack, and that calmness of mind will pay dividends on days like today on pole.

“I don’t think he gets phased or bothered by anything, and that mental strength is going to really come through this season.”

Norris was hard on himself in Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

A self-critical Norris described himself as “clueless” after he qualified sixth in Bahrain, and Brundle believes using that sort of language won’t help the Brit in his title fight.

“How Lando manages it down, he sort of beats himself up when his disappointment juices are flowing, and that’s how he works it,” Brundle said.

“We’re all different. I think he tries to manage down the pressure like that as well, so that maybe he doesn’t get as much stick, because he’s saying he’s rubbish.

“But to use words like clueless, he’s leading the world championship for goodness’ sake, so he’s clearly not clueless. He’s one of the best in the world right now.

“The problem with that strategy is it feeds your rivals. Piastri and Leclerc and Verstappen must look at that and think, ‘wow, there’s a soft underbelly there somewhere that we can get into’.”

The F1 season continues at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Monday at 3am AEST.

Originally published as ‘It’s a joke’: Dave Hughes fumes at ‘disrespectful’ Oscar Piastri snub