Max Verstappen has voiced out his admiration of Oscar Piastri’s approach in the 2025 Formula One season ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
Piastri has enjoyed a stunning start to the new season, leading the Drivers’ Championship standings for the first time winning back-to-back races in Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.
Verstappen finished second behind Piastri in the Saudi Grand Prix after he was penalised in the first corner of the race.
He is now 12 points behind Piastri ahead of another meeting on Sunday in Miami.
The Dutch driver admitted that he is in awe of Piastri’s calm approach on the track.
Verstappen said: “People forget a little bit – last year was his 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.”
He also showered encomiums on Piastri’s manager, Mark Webber for his development.
Verstappen said: “I think with Mark by his side, he’s helping him a lot. It’s great. People learn from their own careers – that’s what I had with my dad, and Mark is advising Oscar. At the end of the day, Oscar is using his talent, and that’s great to see.”
Verstappen is hoping that Red Bull can recover their form in order to compete with Piastri’s McLaren in Miami.
He said: “I think we need to find more overall performance, balance especially, and of course consistency. We are not good at every track that’s quite clear.
“Bahrain, we were lacking a lot. [Saudi Arabia], for sure, it was a lot better. But like I said, it’s also very low deg and then more cars come alive. So we still have work to do, but at least [Jeddah was] a promising result.”
Verstappen has won four Formula One World Drivers’ Championship titles, which he won consecutively from 2021 to 2024 with Red Bull, and has won 64 Grands Prix across 11 seasons.
Piastri achieved his maiden victory in Hungary, becoming the fifth Australian driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix.
