F1 meets Cricket as Oscar Piastri makes an appearance at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the 4th Ashes test between Australia and England

The F1 and cricket worlds collided as Oscar Piastri stole the spotlight with a warmly received visit to the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the 4th Ashes Test between Australia and England. The McLaren driver was spotted at the G interacting with fans and members of the cricket world, bridging two of Australia’s biggest sporting passions.

Piastri’s love for cricket is well known, and the 24-year-old already announced that he was looking forward to attending the Boxing Day test match during the Ashes this year. During this meet, he met Australian captain Pat Cummins and other stars, including Mitchell Starc, Usman Khawaja, and Cameron Green.

The 4th Test was another bizarre affair as the match ended on Day 2, with a total of 36 wickets falling in a short span. England ended a 15-year drought with a win on Australian soil with a four-wicket victory in front of a packed house at the MCG.

After 20 wickets fell on the opening day, England bowled Australia out for 132 shortly after lunch on Day 2, leaving themselves a target of 175. Quick-fire knocks from Jacob Bethell (40), Zak Crawley (37), and Ben Duckett (34) helped the visitors chase the target down inside 33 overs. Fast bowler Josh Tongue was named Player of the Match after claiming seven wickets in the game, including a five-wicket haul in the first innings.

So as it turned out, Oscar Piastri picked the right day to attend the Boxing Day Test, with the match ending in two days. The result, however, was far from ideal for the Aussie. Still, the home side will not be too concerned, having already secured the Ashes by winning the previous three Tests. The series now stands at 3-1 heading into the final match in Sydney, with valuable World Test Championship points still on the line.

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Pundit backs Oscar Piastri to become a regular championship contender in the future

Oscar Piastri during the post-season testing in Abu Dhabi - Source: Getty

F1 pundit James Hinchcliffe has claimed that Oscar Piastri has shown all the signs of becoming a regular championship contender and only improving in the future, if McLaren gives him a car good enough to do so. The Canadian analyst said that Piastri will only learn and improve from his 2025 campaign.

Reviewing Piastri's season, Hinchcliffe explained that the Australian driver already showed astronomical improvements in 2025 compared to 2024, and he will continue to improve in the future.

"When you look at the natural progression he made from season two to season three, and hear how much Norris credited ultimately losing the title in a fight with Verstappen in 2024 helped prepare him for 2025, Piastri is very well positioned to be a championship contender regularly in the future," said Hinchcliffe [via Formula1.com]. "If McLaren can deliver a car capable of race wins under the new-for-2026 regulations, expect quick-learner Piastri to take another step forward and put together another strong title tilt," he added.

However, even with his improvements, Oscar Piastri will be disappointed with how his 2025 season ended. He had moved 34 points clear of Lando Norris and 104 ahead of Max Verstappen after the Dutch GP with nine rounds remaining. However, a drop in form saw him overtaken by both rivals, finishing third in a championship he looked favourite to win at the halfway point of the season.

Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar