Chinese GP returned to the F1 calendar after a hiatus of five years. While Zhou Guanyu was excited to race in his home Grand Prix for the first time, there was another driver who was just as thrilled, if not more. That driver was McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Proud to carry the Australian badge otherwise, Piastri found a special connection with the Chinese fans through his lineage. The 23-year-old enlightened his fans through social media about his great-grandfather’s Chinese origins. After celebrating the returning fixture as his 1/16th home race, Piastri reiterated the fact recently through another social media post.
Piastri posted four photos on X (formerly Twitter), showcasing his weekend. The pictures ranged from fans cheering for him, the action on the track, to excursions away from the race. In captions, he wrote, “Weekend without racing so here’s some memories from my 1/16th home race – 謝謝中國 [Xièxiè zhōngguó (translation- Thank you China)].”
Repeated flaunting of his 1/16th Chinese heritage became a comedic trope in the comments of the post. Fans either tagged along with the joke or added a little twist of their own. One such user pointed out that Piastri was not letting go of this banter- “you’re never letting that 1/16 go”.
Another fan wondered which other upcoming Grand Prix Piastri was going to call his home race.
Meanwhile, in an earlier interview, Piastri confirmed his ancestry included Italian roots. Recalling that, one fan asked him if Imola and Monza were the next Grands Prix that he might call his home races.
The Chinese GP race weekend turned out to be a forgettable one for Oscar Piastri though. While the car was surprisingly quicker in longer corners, the Aussie failed to make the most of it. He finished the Sprint in P7, one place behind his teammate Lando Norris. The main race was no better as he finished in P8 while Norris bagged a podium finish with P2.
The upcoming home races for Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri boasts of a diverse ancestry with Italian, Yugoslavian, Japanese, Indian, and Chinese heritage. Owing to his roots in practically every corner of the world, the 23-year-old has started a trope of labeling different Grands Prix his home races.
In his rookie year, Piastri did it with the Italian GP. Therefore, the fan who wondered if he would do it this year in Imola and Monza might not be far from the truth.
To Piastri’s delight, he won’t have to wait for too long. Formula 1 is next moving to Miami for the first of three American races. Once that concludes, the circus will move base to Imola, marking the start of the European leg of the racing calendar.
