Oscar Piastri sends defiant Max Verstappen message as McLaren ace refuses to back down
Oscar Piastri refuses to roll over under the pressure of this tense World Championship fight, despite the presence of team-mate Lando Norris and reigning world champion Max Verstappen
Oscar Piastri has declared that he would still ‘rather be in his position’ than that of Max Verstappen or Lando Norris, heading into the final five races of the 2025 campaign. The Australian is on a run of three Grands Prix without a podium finish and must stabilise his title charge.
Since winning his seventh race in Zandvoort, Piastri has no top-two finishes and a first DNF of the season on his record. Meanwhile, Verstappen has taken 64 points out of his advantage, winning three times and finishing second ahead of both McLaren drivers in Singapore.
Those results mean that Piastri is only 40 points ahead of the reigning world champion with five Grands Prix and two sprint races remaining. Adding fuel to the fire is the presence of team-mate Norris in the battle, as the Brit is only 14 points back after an improved run of form.
“I’d still rather be where I am than the other two,” Piastri said, defiantly, on Sunday. “Definitely, Max and Red Bull have found a lot of pace since the summer break as well. We saw flashes of it at the start of the year, but it’s been consistent since then.
“I’ve been in fights that were as close or, at this point, even closer than what they are now. So I’ve got the evidence for myself that things can still turn out well, and I still fully believe that I can win the championship. This weekend has obviously been tough, and the gap has come down a little bit in the last few weekends.”
While Verstappen has momentum on his side and plenty of time left in which to challenge Piastri and Norris, the four-time world champion knows that he can leave no stone unturned if he is to match Michael Schumacher's record and clinch a fifth successive crown in Abu Dhabi.
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"I mean, I know that we need to be perfect until the end to have a chance, so that’s what we just need to focus on," he said in Sunday's post-race press conference.
"And, I don’t know... I mean, like I said before, it's super close, and just attention to detail will make the difference. Trying to get the best set-up on the car every weekend and then try not to make mistakes. So that's what we'll try to do."
Norris wasn't getting carried away either when quizzed about his chances of hunting his team-mate down. While his winless streak now stands at five race weekends, the Bristol-born driver has beaten Piastri in each of the last four.
"I mean, doesn’t really matter," he replied when asked about Verstappen's presence in the three-way title fight. "I can only score the most points I can every weekend. So the more points I score, the better it is for both situations. It doesn’t matter. Nothing changes. I don’t have to do anything different for either-or. It’s quite simple: just try and beat both drivers and life’s easy then!"