McLaren shares a "touching" moment featuring Oscar Piastri and a young supporter at Sepang.
The McLaren Formula 1 team has unveiled a touching encounter between Oscar Piastri and a young supporter named Harry.
Amid the hectic schedule of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Woking squad facilitated a meeting for the young enthusiast, who has triumphed over leukaemia twice and is currently participating in two-stroke karting, with his racing idol.
The Australian racer provided Harry with a tour of the McLaren garage, explained the intricacies of his F1 steering wheel, captured photos, autographed his Piastri hat, and imparted some crucial karting tips.
"For me, I always performed better when I ensured I was having fun," Piastri shared. "Continuing to learn is important as well. If you have a goal in mind, it gives your practice more direction."
The moment swiftly caught the attention of fans. "I’m going to cry. This is so touching. So thrilled to learn he has conquered leukaemia TWICE and got to meet Oscar and receive advice from him. Wishing Harry a long, joyful, safe, and healthy future," one fan remarked on X.
"Such special moments. Best of luck, Harry, and thanks to Oscar and McLaren. Love this," another user commented, while someone else added: "This highlights once more how teams and drivers can serve as incredible role models and sources of inspiration for the young and the young at heart!"
Additional remarks included: "Well done, Oscar. Champion driver," and "The drivers on the grid are all great guys."
Piastri qualified seventh for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, but will start from sixth on the grid as Red Bull's Isack Hadjar will incur a five-place grid penalty. Looking forward to the race tomorrow, the 25-year-old does not anticipate a "wildly different scenario" in the grand prix.
"I would say we looked fairly competitive in the long runs yesterday, but our runs were somewhat shorter than the others. So, given the number of laps we completed, it appears quite promising, but not extraordinary compared to everyone else," he explained to the media in Sepang.
"Clearly, dirty air is a significant topic here due to the numerous high-speed and lengthy corners, so we’ll have to wait and see.
"There will be a lot of strategy involved considering the level of tire degradation, but I don't foresee a drastically different situation tomorrow."
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