Piastri responds to allegations that McLaren are cheating their way to the top in F1

Updated: 19:25, 15 May 2025

A filmmaker with a soft spot for Ronnie Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and above all, Tazio Nuvolari and Ayrton Senna, is also a diehard Formula One fan since the age of 4 (mid-90's). An avid researcher of the past of Grand Prix Racing since before it was even named F1, and with a thirst for knowledge of the ins and outs of the actuality of the sport, as well as for the technical aspects that define it, is a member of GPblog since 2023, where he has put his love of racing to good use.

McLaren's dominant spell has been met allegations that the Woking-based team's car is in breach of the regulations. During the drivers' press conference in Imola, Oscar Piastri responded to such 'theories'.

Last year there was the thought that McLaren could achieve optimal tyre preservation performance with an illegal method of putting water in the tyres.

This year an alleged investigation by Red Bull Racing using thermal cameras supposedly proved that the MCL39's cooling results could not be achieved by way of airflow alone.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown's response was two-fold: first he urged 'a certain team' to put money behind their claim and to come forth publicly with it. Then he took to the track in Miami for FP1 with a water bottle that had a sticker on the side that read: 'Tyre water'.

Piastri responds to cheating theorists

When asked what he thought of the accusations against his team, the current championship leader did not mince words: "I honestly haven't read anything because I've not been concerned. Maybe next time we'll put some little figurines and a water slide as well. I don't know. We'll come up with something. But I mean, clearly, it's all been passed (the prescribed FIA tests, ed.). I have no concerns. So, play on."

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Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	171
2	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	131
3	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	125
4	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	80
5	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	79
6	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	79
7	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	73
8	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	42
9	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	41
10	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	30
11	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	18
12	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	16
13	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	14
14	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	6
15	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	5
16	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	3
17	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
18	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	1
19	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
20	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
21	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0

Piastri responds to allegations that McLaren are cheating their way to the top in F1

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