Hollywood actor Chris Hemsworth revealed earlier this year, that he is a big fan of Max Verstappen. The 40-year-old stated that the only F1 team he has visited is Red Bull because he enjoys watching the Dutchman. However, just a few months after he made this claim, Hemsworth, ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP finale, revealed that he was backing his compatriot Oscar Piastri.
As quoted by Junaid, Hemsworth said, “To see the race, I have my dad, kids. And given the opportunity we came out here. Oscar Piastri [supporting]. He is doing a great job“.
Hemsworth’s recent remarks are interesting because they come just a few months after he appeared as a guest on the Heavyweight podcast and told host Jonathan Goldstein, “At Marvel, we all know him (Max Verstappen). We watched Suzuka 2022 at my house“.
Hemsworth’s F1 connection is not just limited to Piastri or Verstappen, as he also met fellow Aussie Daniel Ricciardo during the 2017 Monaco GP. During this race weekend, the two competed in a culinary challenge that TAG Heuer hosted.
Meanwhile, coming back to Piastri, Hemsworth would be happy with the way his fellow compatriot has performed in 2023.
Oscar Piastri has been outstanding in 2023
Even though 2023 was only his rookie season, Oscar Piastri gave McLaren teammate Lando Norris a run for his money. The Australian not only out-qualified Norris on multiple occasions but also won a sprint race, something that the 23-year-old Briton has not yet achieved in his five years in F1.
Although Piastri was very impressive in his rookie campaign, the one place he lacked was consistency. Since the 22-year-old failed to deliver strong results for McLaren on a consistent basis, he finished a whopping 108 points behind Norris in the championship.
As for McLaren, they finished the season on a high despite a disastrous start. The Woking-based outfit managed to clinch fourth position in the Constructors’ Championship and are now looking to carry on their strong momentum into the 2024 campaign.
