Oscar Piastri arrived to the paddock of the Miami International Autodrome sporting a jersey of local NBA team Miami Heat. As it turns out, the McLaren driver is in good company in that respect, with seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton also being a long-time fan of the Heat.
In the past, Hamilton expressed his admiration for the Miami Heat, who most recently lost 4-1 to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. He revealed that he didn’t have a favorite team in the NFL (aside from maybe the Denver Broncos whom Hamilton invested in). But when it came to the NBA, it was Miami all the way.
“I don’t really know in the NFL. But Miami Heat, especially last couple of years watching the seven-game finals has been incredible.”
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Piastri, wearing a Miami Heat jersey, shows that he has chosen yet another team to support away from F1. Last month, the Aussie (who is a massive cricket fan) contemplated which team to support in the Indian Premier League, one of the world’s biggest cricket tournaments. In the end, he chose Delhi Capitals and posted a picture of him wearing the team’s jersey on his socials.
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Ahead of the Miami GP, Piastri embraced the occasion perfectly with his show of support for the Miami Heat. F1 visits Miami for the third time this weekend as the sport looks to extend its foray into the American market.
Oscar Piastri looks to extend McLaren’s advantage in Miami
After Lando Norris’ P2 finish in China last month, McLaren enters the 2024 Miami GP with optimism. The Woking-based outfit will introduce their first upgrade package of the season which is expected the help them close their gap to Ferrari.
The upgrades will bring them closer to Ferrari in terms of performance on paper. However, they are also tailored to address their tire degradation issues. If fixed, the British outfit will have a massive strategic advantage over their nearest rivals, Ferrari.
McLaren’s first upgrade package is set to debut at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.
In addition to adding pure performance, these upgrades are also expected to improve tyre degradation.
Team boss Andrea Stella stated that the changes will be ‘‘noticeable’’ and should result in… pic.twitter.com/xWGzvTjBBE
— F1 News (@octagram_f1) April 29, 2024
The eyeballs will be on Norris and Piastri this weekend. With Red Bull and Ferrari set to bring in major upgrades in the coming races, the McLaren drivers’ performances will be closely eyed by the two in particular.
Oscar Piastri and Co. however, have to be strong from the very get go. The Miami GP weekend is the second Sprint weekend of the season. And teams will get just an hour of Free Practice before competitive action begins.
