Many F1 drivers live in Monaco. Not just because it is home to a Grand Prix. Not even for the tax breaks though that might also be a factor. They also pick Monaco because that’s what many of the world’s uber-rich have done. And with the kind of money F1 drivers earn, most of them fit right into Monaco’s luxurious lifestyle. Now, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri has also joined the Monaco bandwagon.
But there’s a small difference. While Piastri has set up camp in Monaco since last year, he recently revealed that he feels somewhat out of place there. He says he still cannot afford some of the luxuries that some of his peers on the grid can!
This may come as a surprise, as the Australian is reportedly the sixth highest-paid driver on the current F1 grid, with an annual salary of $25 million. While recent world champions like Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have salaries way ahead of this figure, the likes of Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, and Charles Leclerc earn in the same ballpark as Piastri.
However, the 24-year-old isn’t a fan of the exquisite luxuries that many F1 drivers have become fond of. In fact, his mother Nicole Piastri revealed that Oscar was quite nonchalant about staying at the Royal Palace in Bahrain last year, as a guest of the country’s crown prince. According to Nicole, he treated his stay in the palace as if it was just another hotel or perhaps his home!
So, the Melbourne-born driver doesn’t care much about flaunting his wealth via his assets and lifestyle, which also explains why doesn’t own a yacht yet, unlike many of his peers like Verstappen, Hamilton, Alonso, and Leclerc, who are enjoying the luxurious benefits of having their personal yachts.
In a recent interview, Piastri discussed the possibility of owning a yacht and even talked about how he would name it. The 24-year-old obviously never needed to think about it since he simply cannot afford it at the moment. “Unlike some of my colleagues on the grid, I don’t have enough money yet to worry about that problem,” he told ESPN.
That said, Piastri hopes this is a problem he encounters in the future, which indicates that he would be keen on purchasing a yacht once he has the money. “That would be nice,” he said.
As for naming it, the Aussie feels that since most people give a yacht a female name or “something elegant,” he also would think of something similar.
What are the yachts other F1 drivers own?
Still, Piastri isn’t hassling his brain over this notion and stated that he has “years to think about it” or perhaps even a “whole lifetime”. This sets him apart from many of his fellow drivers on the grid, all of whom have added this must-have for the very rich to their transportation collections.
Verstappen purchased his $12.3 million worth luxury Mangusta superyacht, which he named “Unleash the Lion”, earlier this year. The name seems apt for him since he is often referred to as the Dutch lion because of the incredible success he has had in recent years.
Hamilton, meanwhile, purchased his yacht—the Sunseeker 90 yacht—in 2023, costing approximately $4 million. Alonso also got his yacht the same year as the Briton, adding the $4.5 million worth 60 Sunreef Power Eco Catamaran to his vehicular assets.
| Fernando Alonso Has Taken Delivery Of His All-Electric 60-Foot Sunreef Yacht
Alonso signed the contract for his zero emissions 60 Sunreef Power Eco on 1st September 2021. He was highly engaged with the build and visited Sunreef’s shipyard in Gdansk, Poland. His yacht is… pic.twitter.com/6JFmnKrUJj
— EL FORMULA (@elFormulaOne) October 12, 2023
Last but not least, Leclerc is perhaps the only current driver on the grid to own two yachts. He purchased his first one—a 48 Dolceriva, costing $2 million—in August 2020 and named it Monza to commemorate his first win for Ferrari at the 2019 Italian GP.
The Monegasque then added to his collection by purchasing a second luxury yacht—the Riva Sportfly 66 Ribelle—costing approximately $4 million. He named it Sedici, which is basically the Italian word for 16, his racing number.
