The Qatar GP Sprint race was bound to be about one driver and one driver only. Max Verstappen. After a remarkable season of dominance and record-breaking achievements, the Dutchman made history by securing his third title in the Sprint. Verstappen deserved the spotlight, and he got it. It’s just that another driver took some of it for themselves. Who was it? Sprint winner Oscar Piastri! Yes, for the first time in Verstappen’s career, he didn’t win the championship after winning a race. He had to settle for P2 as Piastri stole the show, at least for a bit. And the rookie received high praise from a driver who had one of the best rookie seasons ever. Lewis Hamilton.

A driver never forgets the team that brought them into F1. The team that gave them their dream. For Hamilton and Piastri, that team is McLaren. Hamilton, who joined the sport in 2007, was arguably the best rookie F1 has ever seen. From the get-go, the then 22-year-old started winning races and securing podiums, even fighting for the championship that year. It was a glorious run, one that Piastri is matching—not with the achievements he’s gotten so far, but with the sheer talent he’s proving he has. How could Hamilton not have appreciated that?

Lewis Hamilton has a soft spot for McLaren

Since moving to Mercedes, the seven-time champion has expressed how much he still loves McLaren. It was the team that gave him his first podium, his first win, and his first championship. Now that he’s watching two young guns—Piastri and Lando Norris—succeeding at his former team, he has nothing but support for them. While he has shown his love for Norris on many occasions, Piastri’s Sprint performance warranted a special shoutout for the 22-year-old.

Throughout the weekend, the Aussie was on top of his game. While Norris often made errors, Piastri capitalized on his mistakes. That’s exactly what happened on Saturday during the Sprint Shootout. On their final flying laps in the Shootout, Norris had the upper hand but messed up in the last corner, while Piastri improved and snatched pole position. In the Sprint, he carried that momentum, not only to keep a charging Verstappen behind but also to win his first-ever race in F1. 

Making a recovery from P12 to P5, Hamilton was ecstatic about his performance. But all the while, he kept track of what was going on ahead as well. After crossing the line, he asked, “Did McLaren win?” His engineer replied, “Yeah, so, we’ve got Piastri P1, Verstappen, Norris P3, George P4,” to which Hamilton said, “Ah, amazing! Impressive! Oscar and the team.” After the race, Piastri posted a picture of himself on Instagram, writing, “N1CE 👍” To show more support for the rookie, Hamilton reposted Piastri’s post on his story, too!

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There’s no doubt Lewis Hamilton is a role model for Piastri and every other young driver in the sport. To get his support and appreciation would mean the world to Piastri. It sure does to Norris, who expressed how Hamilton’s love for McLaren has impacted his love for McLaren, too.

Hamilton “owes something” to McLaren

Before Piastri came along, Lando Norris was tipped to follow in Hamilton’s footsteps. He still is. It’s just that now, he has extremely good competition for it from Piastri. Who’s to say it can’t be both of them who follow Hamilton? Either way, what’s clear is that Norris and Piastri have a lot of respect for each other, and they have a lot of respect for Hamilton as well. While talking about Hamilton, Norris couldn’t help but reveal how the seven-time champion had a huge influence on him. He was one of the primary reasons this fire to become an F1 driver ignited in Norris.

Now that he’s followed him into F1 and is with the team that gave Hamilton his first break, Norris gave his two cents on Hamilton’s feelings about McLaren. The 23-year-old said, “He still has a lot of respect for McLaren, and I think he still has a lot of love for McLaren. I think he wants us to do well, which is still a nice thing because it’s where he started his career. I feel like wherever you start your career, you kind of owe them something in a way. And McLaren gave me an opportunity, so I’ll do something for them.”

What do you feel about the love Lewis Hamilton has for McLaren and its two drivers?

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