Oscar Piastri reveals Lewis Hamilton's future on his 'Christmas card list'

F1 News & Gossip

Piastri reveals Hamilton's future on his 'Christmas card list'

The Australian hasn't yet forgotten about Monza

Janice Kusters

Sunday 10 September 2023 04:57

Lewis Hamilton's move on Oscar Piastri during the Italian Grand Prix was undoubtedly deserving of a spot on Santa's naughty list. Yet Piastri revealed that Hamilton is still on his Christmas card list, but only ‘just about.’

In the closing stages of the race in Monza, the seven-time world champion was making significant progress through the field, capitalising on an alternate tyre strategy.

At the second chicane, Hamilton initiated a bold manoeuvre on Piastri, forcing the Australian driver towards the grass. Due to the impact, both drivers were forced onto the escape road, yet it was only the rookie who suffered damage to his car.

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With his McLaren sporting a battered front wing, the driver had little choice but to pit, which ultimately culminated in a finish without any points to his name.

Despite being issued a five-second penalty for his part in an avoidable collision, Hamilton managed to hold onto his sixth-place position. Following the incident, the seven-time world champion took responsibility for his error and extended his apologies to Piastri.

During an interview on the F1 Nation's podcast, Tom Clarkson asked the McLaren driver: "Oscar, Lewis Hamilton, is he on your Christmas card list still?"

Oscar Piastri chuckled and replied: "Uhm, yeah, I mean he apologised immediately and he got a penalty for it, so I'm happy he owned up to it at least, of course. Ideally, it wouldn't have happened, but it's quite easy to do in that corner, you know, I've seen it plenty of times, so uhm... He's still on there... just about."

Christmas cards for a childhood hero-turned-colleague

Piastri previously shared that he used to watch Hamilton race as a little boy, a sentiment that resurfaced when he visited the McLaren headquarters and laid eyes on Hamilton's old car displayed there.

Hamilton drove for Mclaren from 2007 until 2012

“Seeing Lewis Hamilton’s car in the flesh brings back a few memories from when I started watching F1”, he recalled.

For the Australian, coming to terms with sharing the grid with iconic figures like Hamilton and Alonso was a unique challenge as he embarked on his Formula 1 journey.

“That is a bit of an unusual one that I am still getting my head around,” he reflected.

“I think once the helmet goes on, they’ll just become another driver on the grid that I am trying to beat, but, at least before the season starts, that is probably the most unique element of the mental side of things that I need to get used to.”

He even divulged that Hamilton's initial stint with McLaren played a significant role in his controversial switch from Alpine to McLaren.

“Lewis and Lando are two prime examples of that, McLaren have a good history of bringing through rookies and turning them into world-class Formula 1 drivers, so that gave me confidence,” he added.