Tom Kristensen uses one word to describe the title-winning change he’s seen in Oscar Piastri this season

For the first time in his Formula 1 career, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri leads the drivers’ championship.

Oscar Piastri has become the first Australian since his manager Mark Webber to lead the drivers’ championship.

Webber’s presence in Piastri’s camp is essential, especially as he knows first-hand what can happen when a driver is up against a world-class teammate in a fight for the drivers’ championship after losing out at Red Bull to Sebastian Vettel.

However, McLaren don’t appear to have the advantage over the rest of the field that many anticipated.

Max Verstappen could have won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with a better launch, and is keeping himself in touch with Piastri and Lando Norris in the standings.

Norris didn’t want to talk about winning the championship before the start of the season, even though McLaren were heavy favourites after winning last year’s constructors’ title.

In stark contrast, Piastri was confident entering the campaign, and that mindset has followed him onto the track.

Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen agrees, and has seen a distinct change in the 24-year-old in 2025.

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Oscar Piastri has extra ‘confidence’ heading into the 2025 Formula 1 season

Kristensen was asked on the F1 Nation Podcast if anything had changed for Piastri as a result of winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and he said, “Confidence. Confidence makes you faster.

“And I think this year he came out of the bat for the 2025 season already with that mindset.

“In a way he got a little bit unlucky at Melbourne but you know the things he has done a very good job.

“And he’s leading the championship this year because he has been the best when you now look at the five first races.

“If you look at the first four races, you could put George Russell also up there as being incredibly consistent to me.

“But obviously not sitting in a McLaren how it’s performing right now.”

Commentator and pundit Alex Brundle added: “The points environment has changed but I think the thing that’s changed for Oscar now is absolutely nothing, and that’s the point.

“He seems comfortable chasing, I’ve seen him through Formula 2 and Formula 3 win championships.

“He’s entirely comfortable leading from mid-year. He doesn’t get pressurised and crumble.

“He just approaches everything like exactly the same. It’s fantastic sports psychology that he has to approach it the same every time.”

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Lando Norris ‘making mistakes’ trying to be perfect in Oscar Piastri fight

Judging by the first five races, there should be five drivers in contention for the world championship if everything was equal.

Charles Leclerc and George Russell are putting in unbelievably good performances for Ferrari and Mercedes respectively, but their cars simply aren’t up to scratch.

It means it’s likely to be a three-way fight for the title between Piastri, Verstappen and Norris.

It would have been very easy for Piastri to slip up in Saudi Arabia, with Verstappen taking advantage of the clean air in the first stint, and staying within touching distance during the final laps.

Norris claims he’s making mistakes by trying to be perfect, and that might explain his crash in qualifying that forced him to undertake a recovery drive on Sunday, rather than challenge for the win.

Both McLaren drivers have made one high-profile mistake each after Piastri’s spin in Australia, while Verstappen has simply been hampered by the pace deficit his Red Bull currently possesses.