Oscar Piastri was disappointed to cross the line ninth but almost failed to finish altogether (Image: Getty)
Oscar Piastri has credited his day out with for saving his . His comments come following a dicey moment that jeopardised his home race. Born just outside Melbourne, the Albert Park Circuit is familiar turf for Piastri.
Though he qualified second and was a contender for victory for most of the race, it all came apart for him in one split-second moment. In the heat of battle against team-mate , Piastri veered off track and onto the grass, leaving him momentarily helpless on the wet verge. Although his remained unscathed, he faced a spinning wheels dilemma that risked his hopes of finishing the race.
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Resourcefully, Piastri channeled his tractor-driving lessons from a winter visit to Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm by engaging reverse gear – a manoeuvre which saw him gradually return to the track. His quick thinking, coupled with a timely safety car phase, allowed him to claw back up the ranks and narrowly clinch two points with a ninth-place finish.
Reflecting on the incident with a sense of irony, Piastri credits his agricultural exploits with the famed broadcaster for rescuing his race. “I tried to go forwards, and couldn’t,” he said, via . “Good thing I spent some time in the off-season trying to learn how to reverse a tractor on ‘s farm. I think it came in handy today.”
Piastri’s recognition may lift Clarkson’s spirits following the race outcome. The former host of Top Gear and The Grand Tour has professed his support for Alpine due to their factory’s closeness to his farm, although they failed to score any points in Melbourne with finishing 11th and the grid’s other Aussie Jack Doohan crashing on the first lap.
Clarkson was credited for saving Oscar Piastri’s race in Melbourne (Image: Anadolu via Getty)
Despite scoring two points, Piastri will be deeply disappointed not to have seized the opportunity to win. His result means that Australian fans are still waiting to see a homegrown talent on an F1 podium at Albert Park in a World Championship race.
“It’s nice to be, I guess, the home hero,” he said. “It’s something you kind of dream of as a kid racing at home, being the one that most people support, so it’s really special.”
A record-breaking crowd of 465,498 attended the four-day event to support him – setting a new record for the Australian Grand Prix. This was despite the dreadful weather on Sunday which saw over 15mm of rain fall in Melbourne between 9am and the time the chequered flag was waved.