Verstappen gives Piastri huge amounts of praise: 'Has everything to fight for a championship'

Max Verstappen was full of praise for Oscar Piastri after the Australian's victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, saying he 'has what you need to fight for a championship'.

It was Piastri's third win in five races to start the 2025 Formula 1 season, with the McLaren driver now overtaking his teammate Lando Norris to lead the drivers' standings with the victory in Jeddah, highlighting his impressive start.

The Dutchman may disagree with the penalty he received for the incident with Piastri at the start of the race, but his respect for the 24-year-old has not diminished, commending the Australian for his calm approach.

Praise from Verstappen for Piastri

"I think I’ve said it before. People forget a little bit – last year was his second year. Now he’s in his third year, and he’s very solid. He’s very calm in his approach, and I like that. It shows on track," the Red Bull Racing driver said when asked about Piastri's fine start to 2025.

"He delivers when he has to, barely makes mistakes – and that’s what you need when you want to fight for a championship," the four-time world champion continued.

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A reason why Verstappen sees Piastri as a big rival for the 2025 title is the help and experience Mark Webber, Piastri's manager, has brought to the McLaren drivers' camp.

"I think with Mark by his side,  he’s helping him a lot. It’s great. People learn from their own careers – that’s what I had with my dad, and Mark is advising Oscar. At the end of the day, Oscar is using his talent, and that’s great to see," Verstappe explained.

Max Verstappen congratulates Oscar Piastri on his victory in Jeddah.

Verstappen still not discussing Piastri incident

After the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Verstappen was bombarded with questions about his time penalty and his reaction to it. The Dutchman refused to comment on the incident or his penalty. "The start happened, turn one happened, and suddenly it was lap 50. Everything went super fast," says Verstappen.

He explains why he doesn't want to talk about the incident or its consequences: "The problem is that I can't give my opinion on it, as I might get penalised, so it's better not to speak about it." Regarding whether Red Bull considered giving the position back to Piastri immediately, Verstappen remains non-committal: "I think it's better not to talk about that. Anything I say or try to say about it might get me in trouble."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has since announced that the team will show the onboard footage of Verstappen to the FIA stewards. Should there be new evidence, the team may consider requesting a right of review.

This article was written in collaboration with Nicole Mulder