Max Verstappen shares his thoughts on the performance of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Currently forming a formidable duo with Lando Norris, Piastri might be the key to McLaren’s recent success. Verstappen praises Piastri’s strong form and acknowledges the significant points the Australian driver is scoring for his team.
McLaren currently leads the constructors’ championship with a 41-point lead over Red Bull. This is the first time in a decade that the British team has topped the leaderboard, and according to Verstappen, this is largely due to Oscar Piastri’s impressive results.
The three-time world champion speaks highly of the Australian when asked if McLaren currently has the strongest driver duo on the grid. “Yes, definitely,” Verstappen responds to international media. “Oscar is doing great. In your second year, you’re still learning a lot about Formula 1 and in general. He’s been doing fantastic lately. He’s scoring the points for the team, and at the moment, they’re very strong as a team.”
Issues with RB20
Red Bull, on the other hand, does not have the luxury of a high-performing second driver, as Sergio Pérez has been in a slump since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The Mexican attributes his poor form partly to the issues with the RB20. Verstappen agrees with his colleague that the Red Bull car can still be significantly improved.
“It’s now up to us to try to make it a bit harder for them (McLaren) in general, I think, but that starts with ourselves,” says the 61-time Grand Prix winner. “We need to get better and make the car faster, and we’re working on that. But yes, from Oscar’s side, he’s definitely having a great run.”
