Oscar Piastri at centre of ‘insane’ podium drama after McLaren incident
Oscar Piastri’s drama within his own garage reached damning heights with eagle-eyed fans spotting an absurd snub after the race.
Oscar Piastri’s drama within his own garage reached ugly heights during the Singapore Grand Prix on Monday morning (AEDT).
The Australian driver was left seething after being involved in an opening lap collision with teammate Lando Norris.
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Piastri did not hide his dismay with McLaren throughout the race and took things a step further when he disconnected his radio hook-up while team principal Zak Brown was in the middle of a sentence.
But then the team decided to pour salt directly into his wounds with a rather eye-catching act after the race.
Having captured their second straight constructors’ championship, the team congregated on the podium to celebrate the moment with champagne and high fives flowing.
But as the festivities unfolded, there was one glaring omission … the F1 championship leader, Oscar Piastri.
Instead of being on the podium celebrating with his own team, Piastri was standing in the media pen waiting to discuss what had unfolded in the race.
In damning vision that was posted to social media, the 24-year-old can be seen looking at the footage of the celebrations as he waits to speak to media personnel.
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Formula 1 followers were already angry by what had unfolded during the race, but the team celebrating without the championship leader left them apoplectic.
One wrote on X: “Sorry this is lowkey insane.”
A second added: “Even if you don’t like Oscar you have to admit this is sort of insane. What team does this.”
A third wrote: “Sorry, but is this something like workplace harassment or workplace bullying? I just can’t believe it.”
A fourth simply wrote: “WHAT THE F***.”
Theories quickly began to spread online as to why Piastri wasn’t soaking up the victory alongside his team, with many believing he had decided not to join them in protest.
The reality however is far less exciting.
McLaren were approached by the F1 earlier in the race weekend with a proposal to celebrate the constructors’ championship immediately after the race, according to ESPN’s Nate Saunders.
So shortly after the top three finishers stepped off the podium, McLaren’s team rushed out onto the stage.
Drivers who finish outside the top three are required to go straight to the FIA weighing scales before going to the media pen for interviews.
With Piastri having finished fourth it meant he was simply following the rules in place and couldn’t be on the podium with the team.
Could the team have waited for him to join them, especially considering he has contributed the most points to the title fight? Absolutely.
But the reality of the moment is far less spicy than it may look at first glance.
Piastri ultimately did join the team to soak up the feat as he stood alongside Norris before being front and centre for a team photo.
While Piastri cut a happy figure in the aftermath of the race, his anger throughout was palpable.
A normally ice cold figure over team radio, Piastri called out the team on multiple occasions over the unfair treatment he was receiving.
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His frustrations boiled over after it appeared the team had once again put Norris’ interests over his despite his lead in the championship race.
The Aussie’s lead has been reduced for the third race in succession and now sits at only 22 points with six races remaining on the calendar.
With ‘Papaya rules’ now firmly in the spotlight, all eyes will be locked in on what takes place when the F1 grid descends onto Austin for the USA Grand Prix on October 20.
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