Daniel Ricciardo Blamed for Hate Unleashed at Oscar Piastri Despite Extending an Olive Branch Through Heartfelt Phone Call

For an entire year, Aussie Formula 1 fans were tormented. Their compatriot, Daniel Ricciardo, was out of a driver’s seat in F1 and had nowhere to go till Red Bull gave him a lease of life. But before that happened, a 21-year-old Oscar Piastri replaced their beloved Honey Badger. Despite Ricciardo peacefully settling things with his successor, he has been blamed for the hate unleashed at Piastri.

When Piastri was announced as Ricciardo’s replacement at McLaren for 2023, the news created waves among fans and in the media. An 8-time race winner was being replaced by a rookie but also of the same nationality. For Australian fans, it was a mixed sentiment. But Ricciardo had done his part in calling up Piastri and making sure that there are no hard feelings between them. This small gesture took a lot off of the latter’s shoulders, relieving him.

But because Ricciardo is so loved by fans, they left no stone unturned in trashing Piastri and McLaren for such a move. In the latest episode of ‘The Race F1 podcast’, which revolved around Piastri’s journey, one of the hosts brought this topic up. And they justified the hate by fans only on the basis that Australian fans idolized Ricciardo.

The host said, “I have been massively amused by the U-turn that few people have had on Piastri. I don’t think you were ever quite extreme as ‘well, clearly this guy’s massively overrated and an absolute fraud’. But also you weren’t at the vanguard of ‘Piastri’s gonna change F1 and he’s gonna be absolutely outstanding’. I feel there were a lot more people in the first camp than in the second one.”

He further added that maybe it was the circumstances that led to Piastri being hated. “Maybe it was because Daniel Ricciardo was so beloved by so many people,” the host explained. “Even the Australian fans were turning on Piastri before he’d even started a Grand Prix because of what he had done to Ricciardo.”

Read More: From “As*hat” to “Genius”- Oscar Piastri Hailed for Turning Fortunes Around with Splendid Vision

But the tides have turned so much that the McLaren rookie is now deemed to be in the league of world champions.

David Croft likens Oscar Piastri to be cut out of the same cloth as Jenson Button

Oscar Piastri, with his performances, is showing why the world needs to take notice of him. Building on his talent, he has worked hard to replicate his F2 success in F1. Though he is yet to get a podium, his driving style has led to David Croft labeling him as the next Jenson Button (2009 World Champion).

On the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Croft said, “Tom Stallard, his race engineer, said ‘Jenson Button territory’. And it very much was Jenson Button territory. And it showed why Oscar Piastri is very much the real deal for the future, and one absolutely to be watched out for.”

Watch This Story | HOW OSCAR PIASTRI HAS MADE A SCINTILLATING RISE TO THE PINNACLE OF MOTORSPORT

Piastri’s journey has been in sixes and sevens. But eventually, it has turned from a disaster to a fairytale. Can he keep this up for the rest of the 2023 season?