An eagle-eyed Formula 1 fan looks to have spotted a friendship blossoming through the Australian summer.
A photo posted by Reddit user AidenBuckleigh appears to show McLaren driver and 2023 F1 rookie Oscar Piastri driving a rather noticable papaya orange-coloured supercar through the streets of Melbourne.
But most intriguing is the person sitting next to him in the front seat… who sure looks like Daniel Ricciardo.
Watch Every Practice, Qualifying & Race of the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship™ Live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Ricciardo, of course, is the man Piastri infamously replaced on the British team.
The poster of the photo said the pair were driving on Maroondah Highway near Box Hill, calling it the “spotto of the year”.
Piastri posted on Instagram on Tuesday evening saying it was “great to be home in Melbourne for a break”.
While the saga which saw the veteran Ricciardo dumped for the 2021 F2 champion was dramatic, the pair have made it clear there are no hard feelings between them.
“It was just how the chips fell,” Ricciardo told the In the Fast Lane podcast. “He was in the situation, but it’s not like he created the situation.
“It was just a product of all these things happening and then, okay, he’s the guy, and that’s it.
“Of course Mark has a job to do as well, trying to find his driver a seat.
“I get how people were like, ‘Oh, you know, doing that to another Aussie!’, and blah, blah, blah, but I certainly didn’t view it like that or take it as it seemed from the outside. We were all just trying to do the best we could.”
Ricciardo called Piastri to congratulate him over the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, while Mark Webber – Piastri’s agent – spoke with the West Australian as well.
“That was a really great thing for Daniel to get in touch,” Piastri told the In the Fast Lane podcast.
“I was planning on getting in touch myself, but I think with the timing of things, he was obviously at a race and, quite frankly, I didn’t actually know if he wanted to hear from me. I was trying to think of what to say, but he beat me to it.”
