After the first 5 races of the season, this year’s Championship battle seems to be getting as unpredictable as ever. Sitting at the top of the table for the moment, Oscar Piastri. After his 2nd consecutive win in Jeddah, he received praise from several key F1 personnel, including his rival, Max Verstappen.
Before the 2025 season started, the majority of the fans felt that Lando Norris would have the better chance to win the Championship with McLaren. But the first 5 races have proven otherwise.
Max Verstappen has nothing but praise for Oscar Piastri after Saudi Arabian GP
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix saw Oscar Piastri win his 2nd consecutive race, the first one being in Bahrain. He did this by starting 2nd on the grid with an impressive launch at the start that allowed him to challenge Verstappen into the first corner. Although Verstappen was able to get ahead, he did so by cutting the corner, earning him the penalty, which eventually led to Oscar taking the win.
After the race, Verstappen did not have much to say about the incident. However, he did have some kind words for Oscar Piastri, who now leads the Championship.
“I think I’ve said it before,” Verstappen told select media. “People forget a little bit – last year was his (Oscar Piastri’s) second year. Now he’s in his third year, and he’s very solid.
“He’s very calm in his approach, and I like that. It shows on track. He delivers when he has to, barely makes mistakes – and that’s what you need when you want to fight for a championship.”
“Better We Don’t Talk About It”: Max Verstappen Silent on Lap 1 Incident at Saudi Arabia GP
In the last few races, we have seen Lando Norris make certain mistakes during qualifying, which have cost him the race win. This has not been the case with Oscar. The Aussie driver has been consistently performing well. Although his first race of the season was one to forget, he has now won 3 races so far.
“And I think with Mark by his side, he’s helping him a lot,” Verstappen continued.
“It’s great. People learn from their own careers – that’s what I had with my dad [Jos Verstappen], and Mark [Webber] is advising Oscar.
“At the end of the day, Oscar is using his talent, and that’s great to see.”
Oscar Piastri’s career is being managed by fellow Aussie and former F1 driver, Mark Webber. He himself has driven for Red Bull Racing alongside Sebastian Vettel during the team’s initial glory years in the sport. While he has not won a championship in his career, he knows what steps to take in order to do so, and he’s now guiding Oscar in taking these steps.
Zak Brown excited with Oscar Piastri’s recent string of success
With Piastri now leading the Championship, McLaren’s CEO, Zak Brown, could not be more excited. He appeared during the post-race show on F1 TV where he could not stop smiling. During his interview, he made an announcement.
“I’m here to announce to everyone: I think he’s only going to get stronger.”
🟠| Oscar Piastri had Zak Brown quick to defend him following his lap one incident with Max Verstappen:
“Oscar’s a tough guy, and if he had a chance to go for the lead… that was, frankly, not any sort of dive bomb. He clearly had the lead—he was up alongside and got a better… pic.twitter.com/tdFEWuSjNW
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) April 20, 2025
With Oscar now clearly a Championship contender this year, there is a question of how the team will handle their two drivers. So far, McLaren has always gone by the principle of having 2 number one drivers. It looks as though the team are still sticking with this principle. Here’s what Brown said after the race in Jeddah:
“We’ve got our two number ones. I think they’re equal, right? They race each other hard. I think we’ve yet to see them really have an epic battle—but I think that day’s coming, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Right now, it’s still too soon for McLaren to pick a favourite for the Championship. So this response makes sense. However, we cannot forget that Max Verstappen is looking to win his 5 title in a row. So, at what point should McLaren start prioritising one of their drivers to secure both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship? This will be a question that the McLarne boss will need to answer in the coming months.
