Newly-discovered species of wasp named after Oscar Piastri

Researchers have honoured McLaren driver Oscar Piastri by naming a newly-discovered species of wasp after the Australian racer.

A research article on the new flat wasp species – found in Burmese amber in northern Myanmar – shares details of the discovery, as well as featuring an explanation on why it's been named ‘Gwesped piastrii’, after the nine-time Grand Prix winner.

“The specific epithet honours Mr Oscar Piastri for his achievements in Formula 1, and because the colour of the amber piece recalled to the first author the iconic McLaren orange,” the article reads. “It is to be treated as a noun in the genitive case.”

It goes on to state the importance of the species’ discovery, adding: “The descriptions of Gwesped piastrii contribute to refining our understanding of the morphological diversity within the genus.”

Piastri has yet to publically comment on the news, with his most recent social media post all about watching the Isle of Man TT live for the first time.

However, it seems likely that there will be plenty of buzz around how he responds to the unique honour – and whether the other drivers are stung with jealousy remains to be seen…

Piastri and the rest of the field will soon return to action at the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix, which kicks off the European leg of the season on the weekend of June 5-7.