The surname doesn’t lie: Oscar Piastri really does have a bit of Italian blood. Granted, the connection with the Bel Paese is quite distant, but on the eve of the Imola GP, the Australian had the chance to explore his Tuscan roots.
The journey into the past was made possible thanks to an event held last Wednesday between Faenza and Brisighella. There, the championship leader received the Bandini Trophy, just like his teammate did in 2023. But alongside the honour of the award came the emotional moment of retracing his family tree.
At the event, representatives from Licciana Nardi — the hometown of the Australian’s ancestors — were present and handed the driver a reconstruction of his lineage, tracing it back to his great-great-grandfather from Tuscany.
“An incredible experience,” Oscar Piastri told the media in Imola. “Of course I was there for the award, but it was impressive to see how many people were there.”
“For me it was also a chance to meet my distant relatives, the people from the town where my family name comes from, so it was special. I’m now an honorary citizen of Licciana Nardi, the hometown of my great-great, maybe even more ‘great’, grandfather. Now I have another home GP,” the papaya-clad driver said.
The Melbourne native is now leading the championship after collecting four wins in the first six races. “It’s not easy to organise everything,” he said. “It’s been a great success. Of course it’s been hard work, but also something that’s brought us a lot of satisfaction.”
“It’s a completely different feeling, because now you have to win, and that’s something really rewarding. That’s what I’ve spent most of my time doing. Of course now we have to stand up and work even more on the technical side.”
Commenting on McLaren’s dominance in Miami, he said: “I think we saw something similar in Melbourne, in wet conditions, but Miami was potentially a circuit we were looking at with expectations. We had been waiting for that moment. I think with the higher temperatures there, we overcame some issues we’d had earlier in the season. We thought it could favour us.” – he pointed out.
“And I think Miami proved that. I don’t expect it to be like that every week. I’d love it to be like that every weekend, but I think in those conditions, with certain characteristics of the track, our potential really emerged,” Oscar Piastri added.
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