Piastri Seeks to Consolidate His Dominance at Imola
Formula 1 leader Oscar Piastri will seek to secure another victory this weekend at the Imola circuit, Italy, thus adding another “home” race to his impressive list of achievements, which already includes Melbourne, Shanghai, Bahrain, Monaco, Silverstone and Monza.
The 24-year-old Australian driver, although he had a less favorable start to the season in his hometown, Melbourne, quickly recovered and achieved a victory in Shanghai, where he also shared details about his Chinese family roots.
Piastri’s surname resonates especially in Italy, the land of Ferrari, but also home to some of his distant relatives.
On Wednesday, the Australian was awarded the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy in Brisighella, a recognition in memory of the Ferrari driver who died in a tragic accident in Monaco in 1967. This prestigious award has been received by champions of the stature of Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
Considering I don’t race for the red team, it was awesome to see so many people there. It was also very special to meet some of my now very, very distant relatives, where my family name comes from. I am now an honorary citizen of Licciana Nardi in Italy, which is where my great-great-grandfather, or maybe my great-grandfather, was from. So it was a special day. Another home race.
Oscar Piastri
Piastri also celebrated a victory in Bahrain, where McLaren’s main owners celebrated his triumph. After Imola, the championship heads to Monaco, where last year Charles Leclerc, Ferrari’s local hero, joked that the Australian was his “adopted son.” Piastri, for his part, joked on social media looking for possible Monegasque roots in his family tree.
Silverstone, in July, will be McLaren’s home race, while Monza will host the Italian Grand Prix in September.
Piastri arrives at Imola with a 16-point lead over his teammate, Lando Norris, after having achieved four victories in the last five races, including the last three consecutively, with Miami being the most recent two weeks ago.
McLaren, the champion team, has won five of the six races and is again the favorite for Sunday’s race.
We have very soft tires this weekend, so maybe that will help us. But it’s much cooler than in Miami. The track is also incredibly different, much more uneven, much higher speeds overall. I hope the competition will be closer than in Miami.
Oscar Piastri
