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A new species of wasp has been named after McLaren F1 star Oscar Piastri
A new species of wasp has been named after McLaren F1 star Oscar Piastri, based on a research article in Palaeoworld that revealed the discovery of this species in Myanmar. The species of wasp, Gwesped piastrii, is a 98-million-year-old fossil from the middle Cretaceous period and is only 1.15mm long, making it older than the T-Rex dinosaur by about 30 million years.
The researchers who discovered and named the wasp after Piastri are from the University of Oxford, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, and Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo in Brazil. This naming was to honor Piastri’s achievements in Formula 1, as the amber color of the wasp reminded the researchers of the iconic McLaren orange.
Piastri himself acknowledged this honor by updating his Instagram bio and adding a picture of a bee, symbolizing the newly named wasp species. The researchers described the Gwesped piastrii as ‘body depressed and sparsely pubescent’ in their findings.
While this new species of wasp won’t be buzzing around your picnic this summer, it adds an interesting connection between the world of paleontology and Formula 1 racing.
