Karun Chandhok shares why Oscar Piastri was ‘surprised’ by Max Verstappen during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Another championship rivalry is quickly developing in Formula 1, as Oscar Piastri appears to be Max Verstappen’s latest challenger.

After winning four drivers’ championships on the bounce, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is under pressure.

The Dutchman appears to be at a disadvantage to his two McLaren rivals in terms of the car he’s driving, but that’s unlikely to stop him trying to win a fifth consecutive title.

At the beginning of the year, it was expected that Lando Norris would be the driver to push the 27-year-old.

Norris delivered an all-time great performance to win in Australia, but since then, it’s been his teammate Oscar Piastri who has taken the reigns.

Piastri won the Chinese Grand Prix and has achieved back-to-back victories in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to take the lead in the drivers’ standings.

Verstappen explained what he likes about Piastri after the race in Saudi Arabia, and that admiration should lead to a brilliant championship battle this season.

Karun Chandhok was in Jeddah, and after a conversation with some Red Bull’s mechanics, explained why Piastri was so ‘surprised’ by the Dutchman.

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Oscar Piastri ‘surprised’ by Max Verstappen at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Chandhok was speaking to Simon Lazenby and Bernie Collins on The F1 Show and reflecting on events in Saudi Arabia.

Talking about the battle between Verstappen and Piastri, he explained: “Just talking to some of the Red Bull folks under the podium, we were reflecting on why they were more competitive here rather than in Bahrain.

“And they kind of think it’s like Japan, you’ve got more fast-flowing corners in terms of layout rather than the stop-start, slower corners of Bahrain.

“And they feel like the car is a bit more competitive there.

“It’s obviously much less abrasive surface than Bahrain. Japan with a new surface as well was very grippy.

“So we’re starting to get a picture, aren’t we? We think that when the temperatures are high like we’re going to see Miami, the McLaren is stronger and is able to look after its tyres.

“But, I liked the fact that right at the end of the race, Bernie [Collins], you alluded to the fastest lap.

“Oscar did his best lap right at the end, Max did his [fastest lap] on the penultimate lap, 1:32.22 for Oscar, 1:32.28, I think for Max, six-hundredths between them.

“They were really pushing on, and the quality of driving up at the front in that first stint as well.

“I think it surprised, McLaren and Oscar, just how quick Max was on that first stint and in the dirty air, he was struggling to stay with him.”

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Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen compared ahead of F1 title showdown

Verstappen is merciless on track and it’s not a surprise that he’s been compared to some of the greatest drivers ever to race in F1.

However, Piastri has previously been compared to Verstappen, and although their demeanours in the car can be wildly different, they’ve both developed a common trait of being ruthlessly efficient.

The Dutchman has experience on his side and an understanding of the regulations that make it extremely difficult to overtake him in a similarly-paced car.

What Piastri has is the ability to stay calm under extreme pressure despite having started just 51 Grand Prix.

He showed that in Saudi Arabia, but also during last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix when he was under pressure from Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez for much of the race.

While there are question marks over Norris’ mental strength in a championship battle, Piastri doesn’t appear to be buckling under the pressure yet.