Not Verstappen! Oscar Piastri Calls 25-Year-Old His Main Drivers' Championship Rival
Oscar Piastri, fresh off his win at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, March 23, remains on course for his first Drivers' Championship.
Australian racing driver Oscar Piastri has said that he considers his McLaren teammate Lando Norris as his biggest competitor for the Drivers’ Championship title at the end of the season, with both of them winning one race apiece of the two races till now.
Piastri, fresh off his win at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, March 23, remains on course for his first Drivers’ Championship.
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Ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, April 6, Piastri was asked who he sees as his main rival in the title race.
and now you can actually see the helmet pic.twitter.com/ReFRB0jooo— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) April 3, 2025
“I think for myself, Lando is obviously in the same car as me and it’s a strong car and I know that Lando is a very strong teammate," Piastri said.
“Max is an incredibly strong driver as well, so to pick one is very difficult, but I think just because we have the same car, probably Lando," Piastri added.
Norris leads the Drivers’ Championship standings ahead of Verstappen, having scored 44 points from the first two races of the season.
Ahead of the next race, slated for the Suzuka circuit, Norris was asked about fighting Piastri for the drivers’ title.
“…At the end of the day, I don’t mind. I’m ready to battle whoever it is and I’m excited. It’s round three now; we’ve only done two races. Many things can happen and I’m sure there are going to be plenty of trickier or tougher times," Norris said.
“But like I said last week, we acknowledge this. We both know we’re ready for these kinds of situations. We want to beat each other, but we’re also teammates, so it’s not an easy dynamic," Norris added.
The 25-year-old British driver and his Aussie teammate were not permitted to race at their will last season, with the team frequently enforcing the Papaya Rule.
Piastri had earlier lauded his “mega" McLaren after winning a Chinese GP later overshadowed by the disqualifications of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for technical infringements.
During the race Piastri kept a cool head to bounce back from the disappointment of his spin in the closing laps of the season-opener in Melbourne a week ago.
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