Grill’d has issued a light-hearted apology after fans joked that its promotional offer had jinxed Oscar Piastri’s Formula One season. The chain had promised free burgers every time the 24-year-old reached the podium, but since the relaunch of the deal five races ago, Piastri has not finished in the top three — while his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, has taken over the championship lead.
The “Piastri 81 Burger” was introduced ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in March with Piastri’s support, following podium finishes and a strong start to the year. But the Australian’s fortunes have since dipped, marked by crashes, collisions and penalty points. Even after Grill’d adjusted the promotion to reward fans when Piastri merely finished a race, he crashed out of the São Paulo sprint.
One frustrated fan pleaded on the company’s Facebook page: “Please stop this promotion and give us some hope for the last three races.” Grill’d later apologised on social media to anyone who believed in the supposed “curse”, joking: “We never meant to create a burger so delicious it could change the course of F1 history.”
Piastri’s manager, Mark Webber, isn’t buying into superstition. He says the young driver needs to tap into “deep motivations” and resilience to close out what has become a tough 2025 season. Although Piastri now trails Norris by 24 points with three grands prix remaining, Webber emphasised how remarkable it is that the Australian is even fighting for a title in only his third year in Formula One.
After Piastri’s fifth-place finish in São Paulo — his fifth consecutive race off the podium — Webber told Channel 4 that the priority is to “get him turned around”. Despite setbacks, he insisted Piastri is not lacking motivation.
Webber, a nine-time race winner who fought for the 2010 title himself, highlighted how rare it is for a driver so early in their career to contend for a championship. “Year three is pretty unprecedented,” he said. “When I went for my championship, I was an old dog. He’s young, still early in his career. A lot of drivers never fight for a title at all, so you’ve got to find the positives.”