A post circulated by Oscar Piastri’s Instagram page caused a stir ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas - Qualifying
Oscar Piastri was left in an awkward spot by his social media team (Image: Getty)

Oscar Piastri’s controversial Instagram re-post was reportedly the doing of his social media team, rather than the Australian himself. The McLaren driver’s social media page circulated a quote from Bernie Ecclestone, alleging that the team have been favouring team-mate Lando Norris, before swiftly deleting it.

The social media incident, which occurred ahead of FP3 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, put relations between the two McLaren drivers in the spotlight. Piastri was seen to have re-posted a quote from Ecclestone, although it rapidly disappeared from his profile.“McLaren prefers the English driver Norris,” Ecclestone’s quote read. “He has more star quality and marketing appeal for them, has more camera presence and publicity. That’s probably why he’s better for McLaren.”

However, according to a report from PlanetF1, Piastri’s re-post was not a sign of a rift between the two McLaren team-mates, but a costly error from a member of his social media team.

The debate about McLaren’s equal treatment of Piastri and Norris intensified during the European leg of the season after the Australian was on the receiving end of team orders in Hungary and Monza. Lap-one contact in Singapore only served to increase tensions as the 24-year-old was left furious with the team’s inertia during the Grand Prix.

Fans responded by booing Norris after his victories in Mexico City and Brazil, although the 26-year-old Brit, who has, until recently, placed great importance on the opinions of others, appeared unaffected by the jeering and negative fan reactions.

F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas
Lando Norris is starting to command the World Championship (Image: Getty)

“The booing would have bothered him in the past, but he recognises that was as much probably booing for me and how we’re treating it,” McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown explained ahead of the Las Vegas GP. “So he’s in a great place. It’s not bothering him.

“And the best part is, it’s real, right? Sometimes you can go, don’t let that stuff bother you, but you can see it does. He is just in a good place, he’s doing his thing… he’s just engaged, in the zone, totally focused, but they’re both relaxed. They’re not faking it. They’re chilled.”

For Piastri, the time to remain chilled is rapidly coming to an end. He qualified fifth in Las Vegas on Saturday, while team-mate Norris stormed to a dominant pole position in treacherous wet conditions.

The Melbourne-born star will need to maximise his own performance and hope for chaos ahead of him if he is to avoid watching the 24-point World Championship deficit stretch to beyond a race win’s value heading into the final two races of the year.