Max Verstappen sees Oscar Piastri’s gentle attitude and the lack of essential mistakes in his quest for the 2025 Formula One title.
McLaren driver Piastri recorded his third victory of the year at Saudi Arabia’s Grand Prix on Sunday, taking control of the driver’s championship for the first time in his Formula One career.
Australia piled his time behind Verstappen in the first stint after being hit by a five-second penalty for getting the advantage at the start and getting on track.
Piastri moved to the lead when Verstappen offered a penalty during a pit stop, then not threatened and took the checkered flag with a comfortable 2.8 seconds margin of victory.
As a result, he became a favorite of the 24-year-old title. In particular, experienced teammate Randnoris is struggling to fourth at the end of another tough race in the UK.
Max Verstappen praises F1 rival Oscar Piastri
Verstappen was praising Piastri after being covered by him in Jeddah. He emphasized that McLaren drivers have one important feature that is important in any title battle.
“People have forgotten a bit. Last year was his second year,” the Dutch said. “He is now in his third year and he is very solid.
“He has a very calm approach and I like it, it’s on track, he delivers when he has to.
Verstappen also praised Mark Webber, manager of Piastri and former Red Bull driver, for the success of the 24-year-old, comparing Webber’s role with his own father, Jos Verstappen.
“I think he’s really helping him with Mark by his side. That’s great,” the four-time Formula 1 champion said.
“People learn from their careers. That’s what I had with my dad, and Mark advises Oscar. At the end of the day, Oscar uses his talent. That’s great.”
A victory from Piastri on Sunday led to a 10-point lead in Australia’s Grand Prix winner Norris, with Verstappen still two more points behind in third place.
However, Piastri says taking over the lead in the championship won’t change his approach in Formula 1, and he has a firm eye on achieving his dream of winning a big award at the end of the year.
“I still want to go out and win every race I can,” he said. “I’m not troubled by the fact that I’m leading a championship, but I’m proud of why we lead a championship and why.
“Melbourne wasn’t a great start to the year in terms of results, but from the moment I visited the track this season, I felt like I was in a good place.
“Leading the championship is the result of all the hard work we did in the offseason, the hard work I personally did, the hard work our team did.
“I’m more proud of all of these things than the fact that I’m leading the championship, because ultimately I want to lead after the 24th round rather than round five.”