Despite his defeat this weekend, Max Verstappen really likes what Oscar Piastri is doing and how he does it. But he might see a bit of himself in this story.
McLaren has apparently entered the fight for the individual world championship title very strongly this year, but while everyone would expect that from Lando Norris, it is possible that in the end the runner-up will be a laughing third. Current title holder Max Verstappen sees and knows this too, as he spoke with unusual honesty, without any psychological games, about his - now obvious - main rival:
"Oscar is performing brilliantly. Many people tend to forget, but it's worth remembering: 2024 was only his second season, 2025 is his third, and despite that, he's still very strong. When he needs to be, he's calm, when he needs to be, he's outstanding, he almost never makes mistakes. This is exactly how you have to do it if your goal is the championship title!
Mark Webber certainly helps him a lot, and that's a great thing. You can learn the most from your own career, he passes these experiences on to Oscar, my father did the same with me. And Oscar Piastri is a good student, he learns the lessons, he gets the job done! He's talented, smart, and he's not afraid to use his qualities. It's good to see that!” - said Max Verstappen in a sporting manner.
Photo: Getty Images / LAT Images
