Brundle sees Piastri, not Verstappen, is now 'the man to beat' in F1

17:41, 10 May

byNorberto Mujica

Former F1 driver, Martin Brundle tips Oscar Piastri to be 'the man to beat' in 2025, and urges Lando Norris to believe in his capabilities if he is to fight for the world title.

Piastri's impressive form has led him to win three out of the last four races, and four out of the six that've been run so far, leaving him with a healthy lead ahead of teammate Norris and Max Verstappen in the world championship. Brundle even believes Piastri is battle-ready to fight Verstappen.

"If he keeps on this rate of progress, he’s going to be tough to beat this season. He’s improved his qualifying, his racing, and it was interesting to see him wheel-to-wheel with Max in Saudi Arabia for the first time when it really mattered."

"He’s turning into the man to beat," adds Brundle about Piastri.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris congratulating each other on McLaren's 1-2 at the Miami Grand Prix

'Norris needs to believe in himself'

About Norris, however, the situation is a bit more touch and go, but according to Brundle that may play in his advantage in the long term. "I think his head is, perhaps, with a bit of pressure off him. He’s now not leading the championship, he’s now the hunter."

"He’s got all the talent, all the speed, he’s prepared all of his life for this moment. What he should realise, is that victory in Melbourne – if you can win that race, you can win anything in a Formula 1 car."

The Sky Sports analyst sees more competitors throwing their hats in the mix, though.

"But he’s got some tough competition. Mercedes aren’t going to stand still. They’ve got a big upgrade coming at Imola, for example. Ferrari think they know a way forward as well."

"The drivers and teams need to be scoring every point that’s on the table."

Piastri tops the drivers' standings with 131 points. Following him are Norris and Verstappen with 115 and 99 points respectively.