Oscar Piastri– remember the name. The 23-year-old Aussie ace of McLaren just won his second Grand Prix race in the 2024 F1 season. Could he be the next Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen? Well, why not? Being called the ‘Mini GOAT’ of motorsport already hints at what his future might hold. The former F3 and F2 champion is here to take over F1 as well. So, watch out! Meanwhile, the craze of speed and thrill has reached the NBA courts. Seems like, 76ers wingman, Joel Embiid was closely following the race. Moreover, Oscar’s win has added to his joy!

Starting from P2 at the Azerbaijan GP, Piastri quite smoothly, caught up and overtook pole-sitter, Ferrari’s ‘Golden Boy’ Charles Leclerc. And then there was no looking back. Piastri crossed the chequered flag first, securing his first win in Baku. Within two months, OP81 clinched his second win. What a marvelous feat for the still-new-in-F1 star. Meanwhile, the Cameroonian Center for Philadelphia took to his X account to make a declaration. “Oscar Piastri is a future world champion”

It wouldn’t be shocking to see the McLaren No.2 rule F1, surpassing his teammate Lando Norris or even the defending champion Max Verstappen. Piastri’s grit and insane control over his moves and turns make him a special entity in motorsport. Therefore, we surely cannot rule out Joel Embiid’s claims; he might be right, who knows? Meanwhile, the 7x NBA All-Star grew confused, or rather agitated, when Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez crashed out on the penultimate lap. While the blame is controversial, Joel’s “WTF WAS SAINZ DOING?” clearly points to the Spaniard. It’s all a matter of perspective, perhaps.

Now coming back to Piastri’s win, Embiid’s support for McLaren comes months after he took Verstappen’s side after the infamous Austrian GP collision with Lando Norris that found both racers out of the podiums.

Once upon a time, Joel Embiid took a harsh stance against F1 following the 2024 Austrian GP drama.

Being French, Joel Embiid’s familiarity and passion for F1 have always been slightly more than the average American audience. When Max Verstappen succeeded to dethrone Lewis Hamilton in 2021, the Philadelphia 76ers’ frontman joined a grand party of celebration. In reality, he was among the first few names from the NBA world to rejoice in the rise of a new world champion. Surely, Hamilton’s craze is immaculate, thanks to his seven world titles and his contribution to the sport. However, the Dutchman, Max Verstappen proved to be a racer out of anyone’s league.

But, the 2024 F1 season hasn’t been favorable for Verstappen. The most dominant driver for the last two seasons has been struggling to find his place in the supposed beast of a car, the RB20. But one debacle after another has kept him out of the podium for almost three months now. It all started at the Austrian GP, where the Red Bull star and his friend and rival, McLaren’s Lando Norris crashed into each other. While Norris had to retire because of a puncture, Verstappen managed to secure P5. Now, Joel Embiid, who was intently focusing on the race, took to his social media to comment: “It’s the stewards fault for that collision. They took way too much time to give Norris the penalty,” the former MVP wrote.

Embiid was far from happy, sitting 8339km away from the Red Bull Ring, the Sixers’ center was taking the motorsport community by storm. According to Joel, Norris was at fault for pressing in too close to Max Verstappen. However, the Red Bull ace, also somewhat squeezed Norris to the side thus colliding with each other. All the fans have different opinions on this matter and it remains a debatable topic. But as it seemed, Joel Embiid was siding with Max who fell from grace, we mean to say, from P1 to P5, the drop was uncalled for.

Thus, NBA’s petrolhead, Joel Embiid continues with his passionate commentary about the F1 races. Well, it’s interesting indeed to see how motorsport has become a part of everyday life. Especially in America, where the sport was less popular just a few years ago. F1 has to credit DTS for bringing them to the USA’s main picture. Moreover, motorsport is a thrilling sport, thus attracting more followers with every passing day.