HE is the man who was widely mistaken as Daniel Ricciardo this year and he will be racing at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix this weekend.
The name is Christian Pancione, a 21-year-old up-and-comer in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia ranks.
Pancione appeared in various media outlets when photos surfaced of Oscar Piastri driving a McLaren road car in January with a passenger who some assumed to be Ricciardo.
It was in fact Pancione, a lifelong friend of Piastri, who was riding shotgun.
Piastri will be the talk of the town at Albert Park as he lines up for his third F1 start with McLaren and his maiden hometown grand prix.
Among those in his corner will be Pancione.
“It’s a massive weekend for Oscar, being the first time that he’s raced at his home Grand Prix, so it’s very cool that I get to compete at the same event as him,” Pancione said.
“He’s obviously going to be very busy, but hopefully, he’ll have some time to watch our Carrera Cup races, and then naturally, I’ll be cheering for him in the F1 race on Sunday afternoon.”
Pancione is back for a third Carrera Cup season, which kicks off with Round 1 supporting the AGP.
Having finished ninth overall in each of the past two years, Pancione remains with McElrea Racing but is donning a new look with Supercheap Auto joining in a naming rights capacity.
“Supercheap Auto has a long involvement in motorsport sponsorship, backing some of the highest-profile drivers, teams and events in Australia, so their support is a big boost for our 2023 program,” Pancione said.
It’s the second big brand to enter Carrera Cup today, following the unveiling of a Coca-Cola Porsche for Chris Pither of EMA Motorsport.
