Oscar Piastri has vowed to convert fans at the Chinese Grand Prix to support McLaren after making a tongue-in-cheek admission he felt there were too many Lewis Hamilton fans at the track on Sunday afternoon.
The Aussie driver undid the heartache of last week’s Australian Grand Prix – where he spun off the track and finished ninth – by picking up the third victory of his career in Shanghai.
‘It’s been an incredible weekend from start to finish,’ he told Sky Sports Formula One on Sunday.
‘The car’s been pretty mega. Just proud of the whole weekend. This is what I feel like I deserve from last week. The team did a great job.’
Piastri had spoken during his press conference on Saturday about his Chinese heritage, with his great-grandparents hailing from China.
And he thanked fans in Shanghai for their support, before joking he wanted more fans to support Papaya at the race next season.
‘It’s not a joke actually I do have Chinese heritage somewhere. Thanks for the support.
‘The crowd’s been excellent this week. There’s a few too many Lewis Hamilton fans. We’ll convert some of you next year.’
After struggling with communication issues last week, Hamilton would go on to improve on his 10th-place finish in Australia, placing sixth.
But communication issues seem to be continuing for the 40-year-old Ferrari driver being embroiled in a tense exchange with his team on the radio during the race, telling pit bosses ‘he was in charge’.
It came as Hamilton had battled with team-mate Charles Leclerc during the opening laps of the race.
The Brit had been told by race engineer Riccardo Adami that they wanted the drivers to swap positions after it had appeared the Frenchman was showing greater pace around the track than his team-mate.
But a replay of the radio exchange between Hamilton and pit bosses on Sky Sports saw Hamilton reply: ‘I’ll tell you when we swap’.
More to follow…
