Oscar Piastri is quickly becoming known for digging deep into his ancestry to claim more than one “home race” in the F1 calendar. This season, he has already declared two races, other than his native Australian Grand Prix, as his “home races.”
During the Italian Grand Prix build-up and Drivers’ Parade, Piastri was asked about his Italian heritage as he had earlier claimed in Imola that he was 1/4th Italian. Piastri responded with a smile, “I’m not sure if it’s 1/4th but 1/8th I think. So my last name is Italian, so ciao ragazzi!”
We can have some fun tomorrow pic.twitter.com/n1nAzUEhpp
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) August 31, 2024
When asked if the Italian Grand Prix at Monza was now his third home race, Piastri confirmed with enthusiasm, “Pretty much, yeah! So I’m looking forward to it.”
Piastri claimed that Monza is one of if not his favorite tracks on the F1 calendar, particularly due to the support of the Italian fans. The Aussie likes the Italian GP as an event and deems the racing at Monza as one of the best of the year.
And he has done a great job to provide some of that great racing in the Grand Prix on Sunday. Piastri started P2 with his teammate Lando Norris on pole and passed him on the first lap but couldn’t convert it into a win. Had he managed to win, it could have been a great moment to win his self-proclaimed home race in Monza.
Although, besides Italy, Piastri also brought up an interesting connection with the Chinese GP earlier this year.
Piastri’s home race claim for the Chinese GP
After the Australian GP this year, Piastri was probably enjoying the home race narrative upon seeing the support for Yuki Tsunoda in Japan and Zhou Guanyu in China. That is why, he playfully brought up his ancestral connection to declare the Chinese GP as his home race.
He posted on Twitter (now X), “My great great grandfather was Chinese, so I think that makes this my 1/16th home race?”.
My great great grandfather was Chinese so I think that makes this my 1/16 home race?
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) April 15, 2024
After the race, Piastri shared four photos on X, capturing his weekend at the event including the racing action on the track and some moments from his time off the circuit.
