Why Oscar Piastri was wearing a ‘knock off’ Richmond AFL jersey when he returned to Melbourne for the Aussie F1 Grand Prix

Home-grown F1 star Oscar Piastri has long been a Richmond footy fan – but eyebrows were raised on Thursday after he appeared to be wearing a “knock off” Tigers shirt.

Paistri, 22, posed for pictures with eager fans ahead of this weekend’s F1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, proudly wearing Richmond’s famous yellow and black colours.

Despite his healthy bank balance, upon closer inspection, Piastri’s jersey did not appear to be authentic.

Reality TV star Sam Carraro teased the F1 driver about his ‘Kmart jumper’ before another fan confirmed that Piastri is ‘not allowed to show non-McLaren sponsors’.

Piastri is signed with McLaren until 2026 on a reported contract worth $2 million per season.

Paistri, 22, posed for pictures with eager fans ahead of this weekend’s F1 Grand Prix at Melbourne’s Albert Park, proudly wearing Richmond’s famous yellow and black colors

Piastri also believes a podium finish could be challenging for McLaren this weekend (pictured, in action at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix)

Meanwhile, Piastri is not fancying his chances of finishing on the podium on Sunday.

After finishing eighth in his first outing at Albert Park last year, the McLaren driver returns for another crack at his hometown race, better equipped than 12 months ago.

Although wiser and more experienced after 12 months, Piastri – who grew up in nearby Brighton – insists that does not mean it will translate into a better result.

Piastri admitted that McLaren were likely to be in a ‘fight for third place’.

“I think we were one step closer to being close to Ferrari (in Saudi Arabia), but we still don’t have quite enough at the moment,” he said.

‘I think the battle is probably with Mercedes at the moment for us. ‘Hopefully we can start to challenge a bit more later in the year.’

Practice starts at Albert Park on Friday, with qualifying on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s race.