Revealed: The truth behind Oscar Piastri’s mystery social media post

Oscar Piastri set social media alight when a post briefly appeared on his feed.

Ahead of Free Practice 3 for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and in the midst of his title battle with McLaren teammate Lando Norris, an unusual post appeared on Piastri’s timeline.

Deleted social media post sparks new conspiracy theories

The post in question was an image, carrying quotes made by Bernie Ecclestone, suggesting McLaren was favouring Norris.

It appeared for only a few seconds before being deleted, though it appeared long enough to set social media alight.

However, PlanetF1.com understands Piastri had no knowledge of the post, and it was erroneously posted by one of the small team that supports the Australian – who is head-down in race mode in Las Vegas.

In addition to the communications team at McLaren, Piastri has his own crew working to support him, spearheaded by his manager, Mark Webber.

Between McLaren and his own staff, Piastri is kept informed of what is being said and written about him in the media so that, should he be quizzed about certain elements, he’s not caught out.

And it seems, while being kept abreast of social media posts from news outlets, a post was inadvertently reshared from Piastri’s own social media account due to an accidental screen tap

While an innocent mistake, it’s one that is easily misconstrued, given the way the championship has unfolded.

Piastri trails Norris by 24 points after having led the championship by 34 following the Dutch Grand Prix.

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Since then, he’s been asked to move aside for his British teammate at the Italian Grand Prix after a slow stop cost Norris track position.

In Singapore, contact saw Norris gain a place on track with no in-race punishment.

While it was discussed and addressed post-race, that was quickly nullified when the pair made contact at the start of the United States GP Sprint.

In addition, Piastri’s early-season form has waned somewhat, with his teammate gaining the ascendancy.

Combined, it has led to suggestions of conspiracies and sabotage, with the social media post giving that fire further oxygen.

The truth, however, is rather more mundane. A slip of the finger on an account with 5.6 million followers made an honest mistake highly visible, while the current context of the F1 title fight has afforded it an unintended narrative.

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