Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle has claimed that if Max Verstappen and Lando Norris want to challenge McLaren’s Oscar Piastri for the drivers’ championship title, they “need to deliver now.”
With five race wins to his name this season, Piastri is leading the drivers’ championship with a 10-point lead over his team-mate Norris who sits in second. Brundle argued that the Australian driver’s calm demeanour is what could set him apart from his rivals.
“Piastri, having won five of them now, two for Norris, two for Verstappen, is really sort of, I think, putting himself up as the man to beat, the one that has got the best chance to take the world championship,” Brundle explained during the Sky Sports F1 broadcast.
“I think his calm head will play out beautifully later on in the year as well. So it’s this phase of the season, and the season’s rushing past isn’t it, that if Norris and Verstappen and Red Bull have got anything to come and fight Piastri and McLaren with, they need to deliver it now.”
If Piastri secures the victory in the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix, he would become the first Australian driver to win more than five races in a season.
“It is a nice stat to have, I’d be happier with the status of joining them [Sir Jack Brabham and Alan Jones] as a world champion, but it has been a great start,” Piastri explained to the media in Montreal.
“To have five wins in nine races is beyond what I expected, even with a competitive car, but there have been a few moments I wish I could have again in the season, but on the whole, I am proud of the work I and the team have put in to achieve these kind of things.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“Whilst those stats are cool, it is not why I am here. I am here to try and win even more races and fight for a championship, so hopefully there are some cooler statistics to come.
“This weekend should be a good one for me. I’ve worked on a lot of things from last year, and this race was probably a good one already, but somewhat ironically, the races which were bad last year have probably been the best so far this year.
“And some of the races that were good last year haven’t been great, so we will see how we go, but I am expecting a good weekend.
“It is a track I enjoy, and it is very difficult to drive around here and not make mistakes, but I’ve been very comfortable with the car the whole year and feel like I am in a good place at the moment, so expect to be strong.”
