Max Verstappen shares what he admires about Oscar Piastri after Saudi Arabian Grand Prix battle, ‘great to see…’

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen will be well aware that he has a new title challenger he needs to worry about this season in the form of McLaren star Oscar Piastri.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri line up alongside each other on the front row of the grid.

Verstappen had pulled out the perfect lap in his Red Bull on Saturday, benefiting from a marginal tow from teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

Without that, McLaren will feel Piastri would have been starting on pole position were it not for that advantage, although it highlights how close the two drivers are right now.

Piastri got a better launch than Verstappen, and was marginally ahead at the first apex, before the Dutchman skipped across the run-off area and lead the first lap, despite the Australian’s protestations over the team radio.

Verstappen received a five-second time penalty, and when he served it and his only pit stop of the race, it allowed Piastri to re-take the lead and win his third race of the season.

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Max Verstappen lauds Oscar Piastri after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Verstappen didn’t give David Coulthard much during his post-race interview on the start line immediately after the race, instead keeping his thoughts to himself on the penalty he received.

However, in the official post-race press conference, he was asked about his Australian rival and gave a much more positive and elongated answer.

He said: “I think I’ve said it before. 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.

“And I think with Mark [Webber] 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.”

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Piastri has now matched Norris’ Grand Prix winning tally, as both McLaren drivers now have five victories to their name.

The fact it has taken the Australian less than half of the time it took Norris to reach that number isn’t completely fair.

Before Piastri joined the team, McLaren only won once while Norris was in a race seat, when Daniel Ricciardo tasted victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.

However, Piastri appears far less flustered by the pressure of being in a championship battle.

That might partly be down to the influence of Mark Webber, who acts as Piastri’s manager and has plenty of experience when it comes to running at the front end of the Formula 1 grid.

Webber has been giving Piastri plenty of advice behind the scenes to help him deal with the pressures of being expected to challenge for race wins every weekend.

Verstappen saw off the challenge of one McLaren driver last season, but all eyes are on how he deals with both of their stars being in a position to deny him a fifth straight championship victory.