Jeremy Clarkson has taken the mickey out of Formula One star Oscar Piastri after the Aussie couldn’t park a trailer in a barn on the TV host’s farm.
Piastri, 23, has excelled for McLaren this season, sitting fourth in the driver standings after taking the chequered flag in Hungary and Azerbaijan, along with five more podium finishes.
However, he looked like a rank amateur when he got behind the wheel of a tractor in footage he posted to Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday.
Piastri tried and failed to reverse-park a trailer into a large barn – and Clarkson had a field day while he looked on.
‘Behind me in that tractor – if you can see it there – is Oscar,’ the former Top Gear host says in the clip.
‘We wanted to see if he could reverse that trailer into that slot in the barn.’
Clarkson then asks his mate and Clarkson’s Farm co-star Kaleb Cooper how long Piastri has been trying to pull off the move.
‘It’s been 40 minutes now. I thought you told me he was a driver,’ Cooper replies as Clarkson bursts into laughter.
Piastri (left) had Jeremy Clarkson and his Clarkson’s Farm co-star Kaleb Cooper (centre) in stitches as he tried and failed to reverse-park a trailer in a barn
The F1 star has had a stellar year behind the wheel for McLaren – but he saw the funny side of his struggle to drive a tractor
‘Your tractor is going to run out of diesel,’ he jokes before yelling, ‘Come on, Oscar!’
The encouragement doesn’t work, however, as Clarkson points out, ‘Even in the reverse shot [on the phone he’s using to record the clip] I can see he’s c***ed it up.’
Piastri saw the funny side of the experience, captioning his posts to Instagram and Twitter with the words, ‘Not sure Piastri’s farm will be happening any time soon.’
F1 fans were quick share their joy with the Melbourne-born star as they commented on the hilarious footage.
‘Oscar respectfully you look like the adopted 16 year old farmer boy,’ one wrote.
‘Loving to see you driving an Alpine again,’ joked one commenter, referring to the team Piastri raced for before his controversial switch to the English team.
‘To be fair I don’t think he would have backed up a lot of trailers in the McLaren,’ added another, with many responders writing that the funny incident is ‘the crossover I needed’.
Clarkson’s Farm has been a hit, with the relationship between the star of the show and Cooper proving one of the biggest attractions for viewers.
The 26-year-old recently revealed that fans who tune in only get to see ’40 per cent’ of their bickering, which gets more attention than the farming itself.
‘Everything you see on the camera is everything you see behind-the-scenes as well. I mean yes, we still argue, and I reckon they probably only show 40 per cent of the arguments we actually have,’ Cooper explained.
Clarkson joked that the tractor would run out of fuel before Piastri managed to complete the manoeuvre on his farm
The 23-year-old Aussie will be under extreme pressure for the rest of the season as he plays a vital role in McLaren’s campaign to win the drivers and constructors championships
‘But the main thing is that if we have an argument, 10 minutes later we’re best friends again. We’ll be like, “Do you want a cup of tea? Do you want to go to the pub? Do you want to go for a meal?”‘
He added that their ability to resolve their rows and move on are what he believes ‘what makes a good relationship’.
Piastri will be under intense pressure to perform over the remaining three rounds of the season as McLaren target the drivers and constructors titles.
His teammate Lando Norris currently sits 62 points behind Max Verstappen in the drivers standings, with McLaren atop the constructors table on 593 points, with Ferrari (557 points) and Red Bull (544 points) nipping at their heels.
Piastri will have a crucial role to play in keeping them on course for the constructors title, and will also be expected to get out of Norris’s way if he finds himself leading the British star, as was the case in a few races this season, including the recent Brazilian Grand Prix.
