McLaren F1 star flustered as awkward Monaco mistake revealed

Championship leader Oscar Piastri got mixed up over a podium mishap at the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend after confusing a friendly introduction for a mistake.

When handing out Formula 1 trophies to the top three in Monte Carlo, Piastri appeared to confuse Princess Charlene of Monaco's introduction for an attempt to award him the trophy for second place, which was actually meant for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

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As the Monegasque royalty went to shake Piastri's hand having not had the chance to introduce herself prior to the grand prix podium, the Aussie racer appeared to believe she had mistaken him for Leclerc.

The McLaren driver denied the handshake at first before laughing off the error with the second-place trophy then handed to its rightful recipient, Leclerc.

The Monegasque racer drove a brilliant weekend to claim second place in qualifying on Saturday around his home circuit, before converting that into just his second podium of the season, whilst team-mate Lewis Hamilton toiled down in fifth.

There was no mistaking who the winner was last weekend, however, with Piastri's team-mate Lando Norris claiming a stunning pole position-race victory double in Monaco to make the championship battle ever tighter.

Norris now sits just three points behind Piastri at the top of the drivers' championship, while Max Verstappen is 25 points behind the McLaren star.

McLaren paving way for Verstappen?

The confusion between Princess Charlene and Piastri prompted a giggle between McLaren stars Piastri and Norris, as their relationship remains as strong as ever despite being in such a closely fought championship battle.

However, McLaren may just be playing into four-time champion Verstappen's hands by allowing both of their drivers to be competing at the top of the standings.

Their indecision at prioritising Norris during the 2024 championship battle led to the two McLaren stars taking points off each other, while Verstappen - without a team-mate capable of challenging for race victories - was able to maximise every bit of the RB20's capability.

Norris and Verstappen both have two grand prix victories each so far in 2025, while Piastri has four, yet the standings do not represent that the Australian has had double the amount of wins of his closest rivals.

Verstappen is still very much in the hunt as he chases a record-equalling fifth consecutive title.

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