Oscar Piastri probably had one of the best rookie seasons in F1 for more than a decade. From retiring in the season opener to getting multiple podiums, leading and winning a sprint race, the Aussie lived up to the hype. For the same, he got recognition from the FIA but unfortunately had to miss out on a celebration party by his team.
Piastri won the Rookie of the Year award at the FIA Prize-giving ceremony. Thus, he was in Baku to attend the FIA gala. Coincidentally, McLaren also held a Christmas party on the same day as the FIA ceremony. Thus. Piastri had to choose between attending the two.
As a result, the 22-year-old was absent from the Woking team’s Christmas celebrations. Naturally, Piastri would want to honor the FIA recognition and collect the prestigious award after an outstanding maiden season in F1. However, his teammate Lando Norris ensured he didn’t miss out on the banter about this.
Norris said at McLaren’s party that he “didn’t want to get any trophies”. The Briton took this light-hearted dig at his rookie teammate receiving the Rookie of the Year award. He added, “so that I could be here [McLaren’s party], unlike Oscar.”
Fans on social media are not pleased with McLaren’s party shenanigans. Besides Norris’ comment, the Woking team posted a team photo after the party on X (formerly Twitter), which didn’t have Piastri. Many fans expressed their fury online about the same.
Fans criticize “pathetic behavior” from McLaren over not having Oscar Piastri at the Christmas party
Many fans stated that McLaren could have waited a few days to have their Christmas party, given that Piastri was at the FIA Gala. People reacted to X by asking the question, “Where is Oscar?”
One fan hoped that the Woking team had some valid reason for their “pathetic behavior” of not waiting for Piastri.
Logistically, it made sense to have everyone gather around once before the holidays for a team photo.
But this fan’s question is valid: could McLaren have delayed the party by a couple of days to have Oscar as well?
Oscar Piastri won the team’s first race in 2 years (be it a sprint) after Daniel Ricciardo’s triumph at Monza. So fans will want him to get some more recognition and hype on the team. Regardless, the Aussie likes to stay out of the spotlight. Therefore, he may not bother about this and focus on looking to have an even more stellar 2024.
