Max Verstappen races Oscar Piastri differently than he races Lando Norris, claims pundit

Former F1 driver and pundit Martin Brundle believes Red Bull driver Max Verstappen races McLaren driver Oscar Piastri differently than Lando Norris in wheel-to-wheel combat. For the second time in as many races, Piastri was able to overtake the Dutchman in Turn 1 as the Aussie registered his fourth win of the year in Miami.

Four-time F1 world champion Verstappen started the Miami Grand Prix on pole once again, but could not keep hold of his position from the charging McLaren duo of Piastri and Lando Norris over the race distance. While Verstappen defended his best in the inferior RB21 at the Miami International Autodrome, he was eventually decisively passed by the championship leader without any contact.

While appearing on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Brundle claimed that Max Verstappen raced Oscar Piastri differently from Lando Norris, who had a much rougher time in getting past the Red Bull driver in Miami.

“100 per cent. Unquestionably. He knows that there’s something a bit more street fighter about Oscar Piastri. He saw it in Jeddah. Max knows he got a different animal than Lando when Oscar is in his mirrors, not by much. Just positioning the car, there’s a decisiveness about what he did,” he said.

“You can’t criticise Lando’s racecraft, because the way he passed the Mercedes and eventually passed Max was just top drawer in particular. But I have absolutely no doubt that Max realises that Oscar is a different deal in wheel-to-wheel combat,” Brundle added.

It was yet another 1-2 for the 2025 season for McLaren, but in Miami, the Woking-based outfit had a 1-2 in both Sprint and the main race, with both their drivers winning.

Oscar Piastri reflects on his approach to racing against Max Verstappen

McLaren star Oscar Piastri said that he was beginning to understand how to race against Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and how he can execute in wheel-to-wheel combat against one of the toughest racers in the sport.

Speaking with Sky Sports after the race in Miami, the 24-year-old reflected on his battle with Verstappen.

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

"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," Piastri added.

Oscar Piastri now leads Lando Norris by 16 points in the drivers' championship, with a further 16-point gap with Max Verstappen in P3 after six races and two Sprints in the 2025 season.