Oscar Piastri immortalized with ancient wasp named after him!

Oscar Piastri’s 2026 Formula 1 season may have featured enough stings already, but now the McLaren driver officially has one named after him.

In one of the more gloriously random crossovers the sporting world has seen this year, three biologists have immortalised the Australian driver in scientific history by naming a newly-discovered wasp species after him: Gwesped piastrii.

Yes, really.

While most Formula 1 drivers spend their off-weeks in the simulator or on the beach, Piastri has somehow drifted into the world of palaeontology – courtesy of a 98-million-year-old insect trapped inside a tiny chunk of amber.

The discovery came through research conducted by Corentin Jouault, Di-Ying Huang and Celso O. Azevedo, who studied the fossilised wasp from the Cretaceous Period after it was found preserved in Myanmar amber.

The specimen, measuring just 10 × 8 × 2 mm, is currently housed at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology in China.

And somewhere between analysing wing structures and evolutionary traits, Formula 1 entered the conversation.

From McLaren papaya to prehistoric amber

Jouault – an Oxford University fellow and evidently a man of very specific interests – explained exactly why Piastri’s name ended up attached to a prehistoric insect.

"The specific epithet honors Mr. Oscar Piastri for his achievements in Formula 1, and because the color of the amber piece recalled to the first author the iconic McLaren orange. It is to be treated as a noun in the genitive case," read the paper published in the June issue of academic journal Palaeoworld.

There you have it: McLaren papaya orange has officially transcended motorsport branding and entered fossil classification.

The researchers also revealed that Gwesped piastrii is only the second known species from the Lancepyrinae genus Gwesped – news that will no doubt delight the world’s amateur entomologists and confuse absolutely everybody else.

"This species can be readily distinguished from the previously known Gwesped species by its higher number of flagellomeres and distinctive forewing venation," the researchers detailed.

Naturally.

Wow. Just wow. pic.twitter.com/Zdz1zHJzTm

— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) May 27, 2026

The timing is particularly amusing given Piastri’s rollercoaster start to the current F1 campaign. The 25-year-old endured nightmare scenes in Melbourne and Shanghai where he failed to even start the opening two Grands Prix before finally landing on the podium with second place in Japan.

At present, the McLaren driver sits sixth in the world championship standings – although it is still unclear whether being associated with an ancient wasp counts as positive momentum heading into Monaco.

For now, Piastri is enjoying a visit to the legendary Isle of Man TT alo,ng with his manager, Mark Webber, before Formula 1 heads to Monte Carlo next week.

And while the Monaco paddock is famous for attracting celebrities, billionaires and royalty, very few drivers can arrive knowing they’ve already achieved fossil immortality.

Not bad for a slow news week.

Read also:

‘It’s flattering’: Piastri responds to Red Bull rumors

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