Max Verstappen isn’t shy about giving credit where it’s due, and right now, he’s seriously impressed with Oscar Piastri. The Red Bull star had nothing but praise for the 24-year-old Australian, who’s currently leading the F1 world championship standings. After coming second to Oscar in the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, Max told Sky Sports that people tend to forget Piastri is only in his third 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,” Verstappen said. He pointed out that Oscar delivers when it counts and barely makes mistakes , exactly the kind of consistency needed to fight for a world title.
Max also gave a shoutout to Oscar’s manager, none other than ex-Red Bull driver Mark Webber. He said having someone like Mark in his corner is a huge advantage. “I think with Mark by his side, he’s helping him a lot. It’s great,” Max said. He compared it to his own career, where his dad played a massive role in shaping him. “At the end of the day, Oscar is using his talent, and that’s great to see,” he added, clearly impressed with how the young driver is handling the pressure.
Right now, Oscar and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris are sitting pretty at the top two spots in the championship standings. As for Red Bull, Max admitted they’ve got some catching up to do. He was pretty blunt about it: “I think we need to find more overall performance, balance especially, and of course consistency.” While Saudi Arabia looked more promising compared to their struggles in Bahrain, Max warned that Red Bull isn’t yet strong across all circuits. “We are not good at every track. That’s quite clear,” he said, adding that the low tire degradation in Jeddah helped bring their car to life. Still, he knows they have plenty of work ahead to really challenge McLaren’s new front-runners.
For now, Verstappen is watching Piastri’s rise closely , and he’s not the least bit surprised that calm, steady talent is leading the charge.
