“Immediately after the race, it feels kind of surreal, but then you do the interviews, you have the articles written, you see the social posts, and it kind of hits you. It sank in more as time went on.
“The biggest things from that weekend were, firstly, ticking off a dream and a goal of mine – to win a Formula 1 race – but away from that, when you compare it to Hungary in 2023, I was very proud of the improvement I had made, year to year.”
While Oscar made the slow, delayed journey home to Monaco, his trophy was on its way back to the McLaren factory with the team, where it has since taken up its place in our cabinet on the Boulevard alongside our other 198 F1 Grand Prix winning trophies.
As is customary in F1, Oscar had his own replica produced, which was delivered to his flat in the weeks after, where it lives alongside two other keepsakes from that weekend.
“I never used that helmet again, so I have the helmet from that weekend – [in the same condition] as it finished the race – along with the replica trophy,” he explains. “Then there is one other keepsake from Hungary… For those that remember, I was given a €5 note on the Thursday or the Friday of the weekend, which I still have in my apartment. That was a cool moment.”
Not just any €5 note…🔮💶 @OscarPiastri #HungarianGP 🇭🇺 pic.twitter.com/lfRAiKoVcB
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 22, 2024
The reaction from Australia and beyond
One of five drivers from Australia to win a Grand Prix, Oscar joins a list that includes Jack Brabham, Alan Jones, Mark Webber, and Daniel Ricciardo. Of the 19 to have started an F1 race, he already has the fifth most podiums and the fourth highest number of Poles, just three years into his career.
Many of those closest to him who were watching from Australia would have been awake to see Oscar stand on the top step and to hear their national anthem in the early hours of the morning, though some of his friends from his home country would have been unable to watch and instead would have woken up to the news.
“It is very special to represent Australia in F1, and to have joined the list of winners – it was a proud moment,” Oscar says. “It is always nice hearing the Australian anthem. There are always a few Aussies everywhere we go, and I can very clearly remember a lot of Aussie flags in Budapest, especially underneath the podium, which was very special to see.