Brundle: Verstappen ‘unquestionably’ races Piastri differently

Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle believes that Max Verstappen “unquestionably” races McLaren’s Oscar Piastri differently than his teammate Lando Norris.

The observation comes after a string of intense battles between the reigning Red Bull world champion and the McLaren duo, with Piastri getting the better of Verstappen in recent races.

Brundle’s comments follow Piastri’s masterful overtake on Verstappen at Turn 1 in today’s Miami Grand Prix, where the Australian forced the four-time world champion into a mistake to secure his third consecutive victory.

This follows a similar tussle in Saudi Arabia, where Verstappen was penalized for cutting the first chicane to fend off Piastri’s challenge.

Brundle’s Analysis of Verstappen’s Approach

Asked by Sky F1 in Miami if Verstappen approaches wheel-to-wheel combat differently with Piastri compared to Norris, Brundle was emphatic: “100 per cent. Unquestionably.”

“I think he [Verstappen] knows that there’s something a bit more street fighter about Oscar Piastri,” added the ex-F1 driver.

“He saw it in Jeddah. Max knows he’s got a different animal than Lando when Oscar is in his mirrors - not by much than Lando. Just positioning the car, there’s a decisiveness about what he did.”

Brundle points to Piastri’s Miami move as evidence of his tactical brilliance.

“He basically ended up forcing Max [into a mistake],” the Briton said.

“Oscar just dollied him up a treat. Max was tight into Turn 1, on the dirty line, has to brake late. Oscar saw it all unfolding, actually had to turn left a little bit.

“He realised that Max was going to slide, and that is sort of driving somebody else’s car as well as driving your own car. He just had a little jink left, ducked underneath and disappeared.

“That was all one big cunning plan which came to fruition nicely.”

• Read also: Piastri 'aware enough' to avoid Verstappen on opening lap

Norris, meanwhile, faced a tougher battle. Challenging Verstappen into Turn 1 on the opening lap, he lost ground and later struggled to close the gap after passing the Dutchman, allowing Piastri to build a lead.

But Brundle still praised Norris’s skill.

“You can’t criticise Lando’s racecraft, because the way he passed the Mercedes and eventually passed Max was just top drawer,” he said, while remaining convinced of a distinction in Verstappen’s mindset.

“But I have absolutely no doubt that Max realises that Oscar is a different deal in wheel-to-wheel combat.”

Piastri’s Perspective on Outsmarting Verstappen

Piastri, who now leads Norris by 16 points in the championship and sits 32 points ahead of Verstappen in third, credits his success to learning the Dutchman’s tactics.

“I'm starting to understand what you can and can't do around Max. In Saudi I did what I needed to, to win myself the race,” Piastri told Sky Sports F1 post-race.

“Even though it took me a fair few laps to get past him, that was probably as efficient as I could have overtaken him.

“I learned through my years of watching Max and racing against him that being on his outside is not a very fun place and I had to try something different. It felt like a matter of when, rather than if, but I had to pick my moment wisely.”

As the 2025 season heats up, Brundle’s analysis suggests Verstappen may be facing a unique challenge in Piastri’s calculated aggression.

With Norris’s precision and Piastri’s skillfully pushing the champion to his limits, the battle for supremacy promises more fireworks in the races ahead.

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