“Funny things,” Oscar Piastri mocks George Russell over McLaren’s pace prediction

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri hit out at George Russell's comments over the pace of the reigning world champions this year.

“Funny things,” Oscar Piastri mocks George Russell over McLaren’s pace prediction

Oscar Piastri and George Russell (image via Getty)

McLaren kicked off the 2025 season with a solid start in Australia. Lando Norris emerged victorious after showing dominant pace over the course of the weekend. This raised eyebrows within the paddock over the prospects of the Woking-based team. Mercedes driver George Russell even made a bold claim over McLaren’s pace. Now, Oscar Piastri has responded to the Briton.

After the Australian GP, George Russell claimed that McLaren were so quick that they could shift their focus completely on the 2026 rules already. The Mercedes driver suggested that the Woking-based squad had enough of an advantage to win the world title this year without bringing a single update over the course of the season.

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Oscar Piastri took a dig at Russell. The Australian reckoned that George Russell has made some funny comments in the past few days. He pointed out that the season has only begun, with Albert Park being a historically strong track for McLaren in recent years. Piastri even joked that the team had solid results at the Australian GP even when Red Bull had the fastest car on the grid.

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George, he’s come up with some funny things in the last couple of weeks. We’ll see. It’s just one race, it’s been a track that’s been competitive for us the last couple of years, even when our car wasn’t as dominant as a Red Bull.

Oscar Piastri said, as quoted by GPBlog

Oscar Piastri isn’t the only driver unhappy with Russell’s comments, his teammate Lando Norris made it clear that McLaren did not have the same mentality as the Mercedes driver. Rather, the reigning world champions were going to continue to try and improve throughout the season.

Oscar Piastri unbothered over George Russell’s comments

The McLaren driver pointed out that it seemed that George Russell was ready to give up on his Mercedes campaign this year. Russell’s comments on McLaren’s pace indicated that he had no faith in the Silver Arrows to have a real shot at the world title. Oscar Piastri reckoned that if this was the case, he would let the 27-year-old do that.

If he wants to write off his season after the first weekend, then I’ll let him do that.

Oscar Piastri added
Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and Jack Doohan in Australian GP press-conference (via IMAGO)
Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and Jack Doohan in Australian GP press-conference (via IMAGO)

Moreover, the Australian driver reaffirmed that the weekend at Albert Park was more of an anomaly for McLaren rather than the norm for the season. 2025 is expected to witness a fierce battle upfront with McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes all believed to be in the mix. Albeit, this would depend based on track characteristics at every weekend.

But, I think we’re very aware that, you know, Melbourne was, I think, an exceptional weekend rather than what we’re expecting to be the norm.

Oscar Piastri noted

Even Max Verstappen does not agree with George Russell. The Dutch driver gave a diplomatic approach when asked about the comments made by the Mercedes driver. Verstappen insisted that he could not really give a proper answer because he had not driven the McLaren MCL39 to get a real idea of its pace.

I always struggle to really answer that correctly, because it’s impossible to say, right? Unless you have driven that car yourself.

Max Verstappen said during a press conference

Can McLaren dominate 2025?

Nevertheless, McLaren remain the favorites in the eyes of the entire paddock. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri showed impressive pace, particularly in Qualifying to lock out the front-row. The two could have bagged a 1-2 finish if not for Piastri’s crucial error midway through the race, which forced him down the order.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (via Motorsportweek)
McLaren drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (via Motorsportweek)

Max Verstappen did push himself in the ending stages of the race to take the lead from Norris. The Dutch driver was less than half a second behind the race leader in the final two races. However, the Red Bull lacked the pace to make a move within that period, allowing Lando Norris to start the season in style.

It is likely that the Woking-based team will continue to have a performance advantage at least in the first half of the season. However, even a single mistake could allow rivals, particularly Max Verstappen to get a shot at victory. As such, Norris and Piastri will need to be careful and avoid any intra-team conflicts if they want to defend the constructors’ title this year.