Pictures: McLaren invites Australian cricket team to MTC at Woking

McLaren invited members of the Australian Cricket Team to join their fellow countryman, Oscar Piastri, at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, United Kingdom. This included stars such as Nathan Lyon, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Brendan Doggett, and the legendary Mitchell Starc.

Piastri has often shared his love for the sport of cricket since becoming an F1 driver. He also used to play the sport in his youth. In more recent times, the 24-year-old also attended a test match between Australia and India at the famous MCG in December 2024.

Recently, members of the Australian Cricket Team joined Piastri for a tour around the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking. During this visit, some of the players, including off-spinner Nathan Lyon, also had a go on the racing simulator at the factory.

"An Aussie link-up at the MTC 🏏🤝🧡"

This visit seemingly came when the Australian team was in the UK for their Test Championship final against South Africa. The match at the iconic Lord's stadium in London was won by the Proteas, handing the Aussies their first ICC final defeat since 2010.

Piastri also had a disappointing outing in the United Kingdom after losing out on a race win at the British Grand Prix. The McLaren driver was looking to be coasting to a win at Silverstone before a 10-second grid penalty essentially cost him the victory.

The 2025 championship leader was judged by the stewards to have braked erratically during the second safety car restart of the race, leading to his penalty. But Piastri still finished the race in second place, something which was of little consolation to him.

After the British GP, Piastri's lead in the championship has also been cut down to single digits by a fast-closing Lando Norris.

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McLaren sticks with "Papaya rules" further in 2025

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris after the British Grand Prix Qualifying - Source: Getty

McLaren chief Zak Brown has insisted that nothing will change with regard to their internal team approach after the British GP, even though their two drivers are now within eight points of each other in the Drivers' championship.

Brown has reiterated that "Papaya rules" will prevail going forward in the 2025 F1 season.

"[They can] race each other hard, race each other clean, and try and get as many points on the board for the team," said Brown, via RacingNews365. "Then it's up to them to decide who is in front of whom," he added.

Norris ended up in the back of Piastri's car while the pair fought it out for P4 at the Canadian GP. After this, they were also really close to a crash as Piastri looked to chase down his teammate for the race win in Austria.

The message from inside the McLaren camp has remained consistent. Both drivers are allowed to race, giving them both a fair and equal opportunity to win the 2025 drivers' title.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam