Every time Oscar Piastri enters the pits, he uses the radio to inform his McLaren engineer Tom Stallard that he has entered the lane.

It’s a standard process for squads as they communicate ahead of a key moment in the race, though Piastri’s comes with a twist.

Oscar Piastri explains unique pit lane radio call

When Oscar Piastri filtered into the pits for the first time on Lap 13 of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he reported over the radio: “Oscar pit lane.”

On lap 30, when he took service for a second time in Imola, he again announced his arrival over team radio.

But while the Australian reporting his arrival in the pit lane is nothing unusual, that he does so by using his own name is somewhat more curious.

However, there’s a simple explanation for the quirky radio chat.

“I do have to tell my team that it is me entering the pit lane, not Lando [Norris],” he told The Fast and the Curious podcast.

“That’s caused some confusion in the past when we’ve not said our names.

“Apparently when I joined, we sounded so similar that it was, on the radio this is, that it was a genuine concern that they were going to get mixed up if we didn’t say our names.

“So I do have to have to introduce myself to the team every time I enter the pit lane.

“I’m sure most teams announce they’re in the pit lane,” he added.

“But there was, particular emphasis put on myself and Lando in terms of letting the team know which one it was.”

Clear communication is one of the ‘one-percent’ areas that can ultimately prove the difference between success or otherwise in F1.

In an engineering led sport, the human element remains arguably the greater performance differentiator; a fumbled pit stop, or missed radio call can obliterate a drivers’ chances on any given weekend.

It’s especially important now given the closeness of the competition as, while McLaren has enjoyed a car advantage for much of 2025, Max Verstappen and Red Bull has managed to pick its pocket when it hasn’t maximised its potential.

That was the case in Japan, when Verstappen delivered a stunning qualifying lap which delivered him pole position and the lead of the race come Sunday. From there, he held all the cars.

It was a similar story in Imola too, where the Dutchman pulled off an audacious move at the start which left him with the race lead on a track that’s notoriously hard to pass on.

Verstappen’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix win served to underscore Piastri’s comments that McLaren’s advantage is far smaller than it’s at times appeared.

“It wasn’t the easiest of wins,” the Aussie said following his victory in Saudi Arabia last month.

“I think the start was tough, the first stint was tough behind Max.

“Once I had some clean air, it was a bit easier to manage, but I still couldn’t afford to take my foot off the gas.

“I could control it reasonably well, but it was a little bit tighter than I would have liked.”

That commentary followed similar remarks made earlier in the season, where Piastri insisted his rivals were not as far away as the timesheets may have suggested.

“We saw Melbourne was a very strong weekend for us, but we also got the most out of the car and both of us felt we drove very well,” he said.

“I think China in the Sprint—Sprint quali, Lando went on pole—and I think China and Japan have both shown that it doesn’t take much to go wrong for us not to be at the front.

“We have an advantage in the race for sure, but in qualifying you have to still be on it because the gap is not much still.

“As we saw in Japan, Max put in a good performance and it was enough to be better than us.

“So I think that’s just another demonstration that it’s going to be tight the whole year and we’ve got to be on our best form.”

That threat highlights why McLaren has asked Piastri, and Norris, to announce their arrivals in pit lane.

It’s a simple process that helps to avoid confusion and cover off the risk for potential human error – doubly important as both drivers battle it out of the world championship against the irrepressible Verstappen.

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