If it was not already clear before, Oscar Piastri established himself as a serious contender for the 2025 title with his dominant performance at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Aussie was in complete control as he took his second career pole position and commanded the field to win the race. Piastri is the first driver to win multiple races in 2025.
The 23-year-old’s dominance at the Bahrain Grand Prix was reminiscent of his victory in Shanghai, where he also converted pole position. Evidently, the McLaren star has found another gear as he looks to fight for the world championship.
Piastri broke Ayrton Senna’s McLaren points record in Bahrain. Interestingly, this feat was not acknowledged anywhere, although that is likely due to the differing point systems in the two eras, making it difficult to compare.
Nevertheless, the Aussie’s performance in Bahrain was something to marvel at. Martin Brundle compared Piastri to Alain Prost for his ‘calm’ nature during the race.
He is now just three points behind teammate Norris as he looks to battle the Brit for the title. The intra-team fight at McLaren will be intense in 2025, but Piastri may have one important ‘advantage.’
Manager Mark Webber’s experience may give Oscar Piastri a title-winning ‘advantage’ over Lando Norris
Piastri’s manager Mark Webber knows first-hand what it is like to battle a teammate for the championship. The 48-year-old fought with Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull between 2010 and 2013 – the German winning all four titles in that time.
Having Webber in the background is hugely advantageous for Piastri in 2025. The Aussie’s experience and ‘fighter’ mentality will be ‘so motivating’ for the McLaren driver, as Tom Clarkson notes.
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Clarkson says Piastri is reaping the benefit of having Webber by his side: “Mark is a warrior as well and I mean that in a sort of military sense. He’s a fighter, you know what I mean?
“I just think having a guy like that in your corner is so motivating and he’s a team player. I can’t praise Webber enough actually in terms of the influence he’s having on Piastri.
“Making all the right calls at the right time. He could be in an Alpine right now, he’s not. Webber is one of these people who just is able to use his experience, translate it to his advantage and Piastri is seeing the benefit of it.”
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Is Oscar Piastri now the favourite for the 2025 world championship?
With two wins already this season, it is clear the Aussie is a strong contender for the title. Teammate Norris will want to win the championship in 2025 after losing to Max Verstappen last year, but he will have to keep a close eye on the other side of the McLaren garage.
McLaren insiders think Piastri is Norris’ ‘biggest threat’ in 2025. The opening four races have shown that the former has taken a step forward in his quest to become champion.
Piastri is delivering crucial improvements on his biggest weakness in 2025, that being qualifying. He was beaten 20-4 by Norris in 2024 – now he is level with the Brit at 2-2.
Norris must outqualify Piastri at 65% of races to win the title this year. But with his teammate’s current form, he will face serious pressure to maintain number one status at McLaren.
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