Oscar Piastri Left ‘Surprised’ by Max Verstappen’s Strategy Before Spanish GP Chaos

Oscar Piastri did not expect Max Verstappen to try an alternative strategy at the Spanish GP before the Dutchman's race turned into a disaster.

Oscar Piastri Left ‘Surprised’ by Max Verstappen’s Strategy Before Spanish GP Chaos

Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen (Via IMAGO)

The Spanish GP was an exciting race. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri went head-to-head against his teammate Lando Norris to take his fifth victory of the season. Though, reigning world champion Max Verstappen was not so far behind, before a chaotic Safety Car restart. Now, Piastri has expressed confusion over Red Bull’s strategy for Verstappen for the race.

While most drivers opted for a simple two-stop strategy for the race before the Safety Car, Max Verstappen was on an alternative three-stop plan. The Dutch driver found himself in third place on fresh tires with less than 20 laps to go. It seemed that Verstappen might have a chance to defeat Piastri and Norris. However, a late Safety Car led to chaos for the Red Bull driver who lost a place to Charles Leclerc and later collided with George Russell.

Oscar Piastri pointed out that McLaren had not expected Max Verstappen to try a three-stop. He further mentioned that things almost worked out for the reigning world champion. Nevertheless, the Australian driver was not so concerned about the 27-year-old as he managed to clinch victory. Piastri asserted that he needed such a strong result after losing the Monaco GP to Norris.

Yeah, definitely, it was a bit of a surprise to see Max try and three-stop and it nearly worked for him. But it was a great weekend, the pace was good and just really proud. A much better bounce back from Monaco. A superb weekend.

Oscar Piastri said post-race

Oscar Piastri having ‘fun’ during dominant 2025 campaign

The 2025 season has been nothing short of a dream-come-true for Oscar Piastri. The Australian driver was often overlooked in comparison to Lando Norris at McLaren. Last season, Piastri was even forced to obey team orders to help out his teammate. But things have changed drastically this year, with the 24-year-old proving his worth to the paddock.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (via F1)
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (via F1)

Oscar Piastri leads the championship with five wins in the first nine races, while Norris and Verstappen share two victories each. The Australian admitted that there was not much to complain about this year so far. The McLaren star achieved the victory he wanted during a dominant weekend in Barcelona. The 24-year-old confessed that he really is having a great time in Formula 1 at the moment.

Hard to complain, it has been a great year and this weekend has been exactly the kind of weekend I’ve been looking for. It is a lot of fun winning races at the moment.

Oscar Piastri explained

The McLaren star has shown that he is capable of dominating the F1 grid. Oscar Piastri has continued to defy expectations against the likes of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Though, there are plenty of races left this year, Piastri is undoubtedly the man to beat for the 2025 Formula 1 world championship. It remains to be seen if the 24-year-old can carry this momentum to the coming races.

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