Oscar Piastri delighted McLaren fans by finishing fourth in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix – but they might 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 hosts the segment along with a former FBI and MI6 employee named Russ, who mans the lie detector machine and is instructed not to talk, only nod or shake his head.
In the wide-ranging interview, Piastri declared that he not only believes he can win a race this year, but that McLaren has the car that can take the chequered flag.
He also admitted that he was a better all-round sportsperson than McLaren teammate Lando Norris – and that he privately enjoyed having an F1 win under his belt while Norris is still waiting for that honour.
Piastri was clearly nervous as he was hooked up to the lie detector in an environment more fitting for 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 grilled the Aussie F1 star
The early questions were relatively easy fodder for the Australian driver as he was asked if England were a better cricket team than Australia (no) and whether he had ever lied to a Sky Sports presenter (yes) which Piastri answered truthfully.
Then came a couple more simple options to help get Piastri feeling comfortable before the more hard-hitting inquiries.
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 I have,’ a sheepish Piastri replied.
‘Yes or no please,’ Lazenby ordered.
‘No,’ Piastri said, but the detector determined that was a lie, leading him to add, ‘OK, apparently I have.’
‘What was that crime? Think back,’ asked Lazenby.
‘I’ve been pulled over for speeding. But I didn’t get a ticket for it, so, I’ve officially not committed a crime,’ the 22-year-old said.
Piastri was a big hit with the Aussie crowd on his return to Albert Park as he finished fourth at the Australian F1 Grand Prix
Piastri could have become the first Aussie to finish on the podium in his home race but McLaren made him give way to teammate Lando Norris
Then Lazenby took aim at Piastri’s relationship with teammate Lando Norris and the McLaren team.
‘Do you enjoy being a McLaren driver?’ Lazenby asked, with Piastri answering yes with a green light from the lie detector.
‘Would you still enjoy being a McLaren driver on half your salary?’ Lazenby probed.
‘Yeah,’ Piastri answered, but the detector came back red as Lazenby erupted in laughter.
‘Dear oh dear, it’s all about the money, Oscar,’ he said.
‘Does it please you greatly that you have won a race on an F1 weekend and Lando hasn’t?’ Lazenby asked, referring to the Qatar Sprint Piasri won in October last year.
Piastri (centre) has bragging rights over Norris (right) and world champion Max Verstappen (left) after winning the Qatar Sprint
Piastri was also grilled about his manager and former Australian F1 champion Mark Webber
After a considerable chuckle, Piastri admitted it did bring him joy – but he denied rubbing it in, saying he preferred to ‘keep the peace’.
Finally, 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.
‘Yeah, yes … [but] the lie detector doesn’t know!’ Piastri said.
‘Was he a better driver than Sebastian Vettel?’
‘I mean, statistics say no,’ the Aussie replied before adding, ‘I’ll be looking for a new manager now.’
