F1 | Oscar Piastri explains the Instagram repost that fueled McLaren favoritism rumours. Oscar Piastri explains the accidental Instagram repost.

After sharing a controversial repost about McLaren, Oscar Piastri found himself at the centre of attention heading into the Las Vegas weekend. The Australian driver reposted on his Instagram profile a set of uncomfortable comments from Bernie Ecclestone, who suggested that McLaren would be showing an internal preference towards Lando Norris. The repost was deleted quickly, but not quickly enough to escape the eyes of fans, who made it go viral on social media within minutes. The incident has reignited discussions about the supposed “preferential treatment” for Norris — a theory already circulating among some fans and now resurfacing right before the race.

Oscar Piastri admits he did not do it on purpose

Questioned about the situation after qualifying, Oscar Piastri appeared visibly surprised and denied any intention to cause controversy, claiming he only discovered the repost when he woke up. When RacingNews365 asked him for clarification, he replied:

“I don’t know. I woke up this morning and saw it, so I don’t know, maybe I did it accidentally. Obviously it wasn’t intentional. I didn’t know what had happened. I don’t know.”

Now all eyes are on the track

From a sporting perspective, Oscar Piastri will start fifth in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, while Lando Norris will launch from pole position, with the opportunity to further strengthen his lead in the championship fight. With the media climate suddenly more tense than usual, the Australian must now focus on shifting the attention back to the track, putting this social media incident behind him.

The two young papaya drivers share a respectful relationship, but their competitiveness is undeniable: Lando Norris currently leads the standings with a 24-point margin, supported by greater consistency and often impeccable qualifying performances. Piastri remains fully in the fight thanks to his mature racecraft and ability to capitalise on every opportunity. Attention should also be paid to Max Verstappen, who has scored the most points of all drivers from Monza up to this weekend.