Oscar Piastri delighted McLaren fans by finishing fourth in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, but they may be a little less impressed by some answers he gave in a bizarre interview he spent hooked up to a lie detector.
F1 presenter Simon Lazenby presents the segment alongside a former FBI and MI6 employee called Russ, who operates the lie detector and is instructed not to speak, only to nod or shake his head.
In the wide-ranging interview, Piastri stated that not only does he believe he can win a race this year, but that McLaren has the car that can take the checkered flag.
He also admitted that he was a better all-round sportsman than his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, and that he privately enjoyed having an F1 victory under his belt while Norris is still waiting for that honour.
Piastri was clearly nervous while hooked up to the lie detector in an environment more suited to criminals than F1 drivers.
After a series of warm-up questions, presenter Simon Lazenby and a former FBI and MI6 employee known only as Russ questioned the Australian F1 star.
The first few questions were a relatively easy topic for the Australian driver, as he was asked if England were a better cricket team than Australia (no) and if he had ever lied to a Sky Sports presenter (yes), to which Piastri answered truthfully.
Next came a couple of simpler options to help Piastri feel comfortable before the more forceful queries.
Are dingoes trustworthy? No. Is Vegemite better than Marmite? Yeah.
Then came the first big one.
‘Have you ever committed a crime?’ Lazenby asked.
“I don’t think so,” replied a timid Piastri.
“Yes or no, please,” Lazenby ordered.
“No,” Piastri said, but the detector determined it was a lie, prompting him to add: “Okay, apparently yes.”
‘What was that crime? Think back,” Lazenby asked.
“They stopped me for speeding. But they didn’t give me any fine, so officially I haven’t committed any crime,” said the 22-year-old.
Piastri was a big hit with the Australian public on his return to Albert Park, where he finished fourth in the Australian F1 Grand Prix.
Piastri could have become the first Australian to finish on the podium at his home race, but McLaren made him give way to teammate Lando Norris.
Lazenby then took aim at Piastri’s relationship with teammate Lando Norris and the McLaren team.
“Do you like being a McLaren driver?” Lazenby asked, and Piastri answered yes with a green light from the lie detector.
“Would you still enjoy being a McLaren driver on half your salary?” Lazenby probed.
“Yes,” Piastri replied, but the detector turned red again as Lazenby burst into laughter.
“My God, it’s all about money, Oscar,” he said.
“Are you very pleased that you won a race on an F1 weekend and Lando didn’t?” Lazenby asked, referring to the Qatar Sprint that Piasri won in October of last year.
Piastri (centre) gets bragging rights over Norris (right) and world champion Max Verstappen (left) after winning the Qatar Sprint.
Piastri was also questioned about his manager and former Australian F1 champion, Mark Webber.
After considerable laughter, Piastri admitted it brought him joy, but denied rubbing it in, saying he preferred to “keep the peace.”
Eventually, Lazenby turned his attention to Piastri’s Australian manager and former F1 star, Mark Webber.
“Are you a better driver than Mark Webber?” Lazenby asked.
‘Yes, yes… (but) the lie detector doesn’t know!’ Piastri said.
‘Was he a better driver than Sebastian Vettel?’
“I mean, the statistics say no,” the Australian replied before adding: “Now I’ll look for a new coach.”