Oscar Piastri has lashed out at rumours that his girlfriend is pregnant – with his mother Nicole detailing how a shocking email she received from the F1 star’s father helped derail their marriage.
The McLaren star set the record straight about the gossip surrounding him and partner Lily shortly before he lined up fifth on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix.
‘I think there has been one or two [rumours] where Lily has been pregnant or something like that, which is obviously not true,’ Piastri said.
‘There are some interesting headlines out there.’
The 24-year-old is notoriously private when it comes to his life off the track, but he opened up about the boost his partner gives him in and out of the car.
‘It’s very nice to have her support, definitely. It’s an important part of any athlete, or any person, really, is having that support around you,’ he told News Corp.
Oscar Piastri is pictured with girlfriend Lily Zneimer at the Australian Grand Prix on Friday. The McLaren star has shot down outlandish rumours about his love life
Piastri said his partner is a ‘calming influence’ for him as he deals with the intense scrutiny that comes with the F1 circus
‘Having Lily around is always very nice and just a nice, calming influence and always able to help me get myself out of the tension and the stress of a race weekend and just have some nice quality time.
‘For me, spending time with Lily, that’s a big one.
‘That’s, for me, the most important thing. Some people like to chase adrenaline every second, whereas I think for myself the adrenaline I get from driving a race car is probably enough.
‘I’m pretty relaxed and like to have a slow life in some ways away from the track.’
Nicole Piastri has become a fan favourite – and not just in Melbourne, where she raised Oscar in the upmarket suburb of Brighton, just a short drive from the Albert Park F1 track.
She’s renowned for her brilliant sense of humour – but she recently gave fans a very raw insight into her relationship with Oscar’s father Chris.
Oscar showed immense talent behind the wheel from a very young age, and Nicole vividly remembers getting an email from Chris telling her that he’d signed up their son to move to Europe in pursuit of F1 stardom.
‘I’ve emailed you a list of the stuff he needs. We’ll be home in a week, he can grab all the stuff, say his goodbyes and drop him off, and we’re good to go,’ Nicole said as she recalled the message.
Oscar’s mum Nicole (pictured at the Australian Grand Prix on Friday) has opened up about a shattering email she received from his father
According to Nicole, Chris Piastri (pictured) sent her a very blunt message informing her he’d signed Oscar up to live and race in Europe when he was just 14
Nicole (pictured with Oscar at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix) also revealed the horrific accident that changed the way she approaches her son’s races
‘So they came home, and it may be one of the reasons we are no longer married.’
Nicole also revealed her horror when she was told a competitor of Oscar’s had to have both his legs amputated after a horror accident he suffered in a race the Aussie also competed in.
England’s Billy Monger was just 17 when he slammed into the back of a stationary car at the Donington Park track in April 2017.
Nicole was alerted to the shattering incident when Chris messaged her with, ‘Look, there’s been an incident.’
‘As soon as I Googled it, footage came up from Billy’s camera of him going into the back at full speed, into the back of the stationary car on the track that he didn’t see because of rain,’ she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘And the footage was so disturbing that I vomited.’
Nicole flew to the UK to be with Oscar in the aftermath, and Monger’s crash changed the way she plans for her son’s races.
‘I don’t dwell on it, but every single race I know how I would get to him as quickly as possible if I need to,’ she said.
