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Vaibhav Suryavanshi's 35-ball century grabs F1 table-topper's attention as 14-year-old's carnage draws global spotlight
Oscar Piastri, who currently leads the F1 leaderboard, took to his social media profile to applaud Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
The motorsport world may be buzzing with Oscar Piastri's triumph in Jeddah in the ongoing F1 season, but the Formula 1 star found himself stunned by a teenage cricketing sensation from India. On Monday, 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi etched his name into IPL history with a blistering 35-ball century for Rajasthan Royals, prompting reactions from fans across the world, including McLaren’s Piastri.
The young left-handed opener, already the youngest player in IPL history when he debuted earlier this month, made headlines again during his third appearance for the IPL side. Vaibhav’s fireworks against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur helped Rajasthan Royals chase down their target with eight wickets to spare, as he bludgeoned 11 sixes and seven fours en route to the fastest IPL century by an Indian.
As the cricketing world celebrated the teenager’s remarkable feat, Piastri joined the chorus. The Australian F1 driver shared a post on Instagram, praising the youngster’s performance, which defied age. Sharing his picture and his record-breaking knock, Piastri wrote, “14,” referring to his age, followed by a clapping emoji.
The teenager's hundred was not only historic because of his age. It also came against a quality Titans bowling lineup featuring international stars like Mohammed Siraj, Rashid Khan, Ishant Sharma, Prasidh Krishna, and Washington Sundar, among others.
Vaibhav showed composure and confidence beyond his years, punishing loose deliveries and expertly handling pressure. The match-winning effort ensured RR's third win of the season, giving the franchise something to cheer about in a difficult season; RR are all but out of the playoffs race, with seven losses this season and only four matches remaining.
Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri himself had plenty to smile about. Fresh off his third win from five races this season, he now leads the 2025 F1 Championship standings with 99 points. He has a ten-point lead over teammate Lando Norris and a 12-point advantage over Max Verstappen.
