Oscar Piastri, McLaren, British GP, Britain, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 fans go wild for Oscar Piastri's 'absolutely diabolical' team switch

Piastri will never be able to separate himself from this bombshell F1 announcement

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 18 January 2026 21:55

McLaren star Oscar Piastri has sent fans wild with a recent social media post that appears to hint at a cheeky switch in F1 team allegiance.

The Aussie racer wrapped up his most successful season in F1 last month, finishing third behind Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship.

But the 24-year-old would have been hoping for more considering he led the drivers' standings for 15 out of the 24 championship rounds in 2025.

Article continues under video

For the majority of last season, Piastri was tipped as the man most likely to take the title off of four-time champion Verstappen, as fellow papaya driver Norris appeared to have lost his mojo.

The Brit appeared back and better than ever after a win at the Mexican GP however, marking the moment he managed to overtake Piastri again in the standings.

As the title slipped away from the Australian driver, many blamed McLaren for applying team orders ('papaya rules') which appeared to favour Norris.

But in his latest advert for McLaren sponsor Google, Piastri has seemingly praised McLaren for giving him the chance to win, something which may not have happened had he stuck with a previous squad.

Why did Piastri leave Alpine?

Though the nine-time grand prix winner has admitted feeling regret over the points-scoring opportunities taken away from him due to team orders last year, it doesn't look like he'll be making another team switch anytime soon, especially when he put everything on the line to join McLaren.

Prior to joining the F1 grid in 2023, Piastri was signed to the Alpine driver academy, taking up the role of reserve driver in 2022 before being announced as a full-time driver with the squad for 2023.

But in a dramatic chain of events which unfolded on social media, Piastri publicly sacked Alpine and announced he would be making his F1 debut with McLaren instead.

In the now infamous tweet, Piastri wrote: "I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year."

And now the Aussie star has reignited discussion over his crazy team switch thanks to his new Google advert.

In the promotional video posted to Piastri's Instagram, the McLaren driver said: “I know I don’t always show it but winning does excite me. So, when I see a chance to get ahead, I will change things up.”

As he delivered the line about changing things up, removal men could be seen in the background swapping out a painting of snowy Alpine scenery for a portrait of some papayas.

This subtle message was not lost on fans who remember the Alpine exit bombshell, with many flooding Piastri's comments to point out the dig.

One fan commented: "The picture switch is absolutely diabolical... I love it," as another wrote: "Am I the only one that noticed the painting change from mountains (Alpine F1) to papaya (McLaren)?"

Another fan picked up on the cheeky reference, writing: "The switch from mountain painting (Alpine) to Papaya (McLaren) is genius."

McLaren Oscar Piastri social media