Motor racing-New buzz in F1: ancient wasp species named after Piastri

May 28, 2026 3:04 PM EDT

Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Quebec, Canada - May 24, 2026 McLaren's Oscar Piastri arrives ahead of the race REUTERS/Mathieu Belanger

LONDON, May ‌28 (Reuters) - A ​newly ​discovered species of wasp dating from the time of ‌the dinosaurs and found preserved in ⁠Burmese amber has been named after ‌McLaren Formula One driver ‌Oscar Piastri.

A research article in the June issue of academic journal ​Palaeoworld named the insect, found in northern Myanmar and dating ⁠from the middle Cretaceous period, as 'Gwesped Piastrii'.

"The specific ​epithet honours Mr. Oscar Piastri for his achievements in Formula One, ​and because the ‌colour of the amber piece recalled to the first ⁠author the iconic McLaren orange," the article explained.

The Cretaceous period ended 65 ⁠million years ago.

Piastri, 25, made his Formula ​One debut in 2023 and has won nine grands prix.

The Australian, currently attending the ‌Isle of Man TT races with a weekend off ‌before the June 7 Monaco ⁠Grand Prix, had ‌yet to ​comment on the accolade.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; editing by Clare ‌Fallon)



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