A recent investigation has led to the discovery of a new wasp species dating back 98 million years, which has been named Gwesped piastrii in honor of F1 driver Oscar Piastri, currently driving for the McLaren team.
The work, carried out by a group of biologists consisting of Corentin Jouault, Di-Ying Huang, and Celso O. Azevedo, was based on a fossil from the Cretaceous period found in Myanmar. The fossil was encased in a rectangular amber fragment measuring 10 × 8 × 2 mm and is currently housed at the Institute of Geology and Paleontology in Nanjing, China.
Jouault, one of the study’s authors and a researcher at Oxford, decided to name the species in recognition of Piastri’s achievements in Formula 1. In his publication, he also emphasized the resemblance of the amber’s color to McLaren’s famous orange.
The new wasp, which belongs to the genus Lancepyrinae, is distinguished from other known species by its higher number of flagellomers and a particular structure of its forewings.
Currently, Piastri holds sixth place in the world championship following a challenging start to the 2026 season, with a second place finish at the Japanese Grand Prix after being unable to compete in Melbourne and Shanghai. In addition, the driver is preparing for the upcoming race at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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