“That’s a good thing”: Oscar Piastri speaks out on Michael Schumacher comparisons

Oscar Piastri, who won the 2025 Dutch GP, was compared to seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, owing to the two drivers having a cool demeanor within the paddock. The Aussie was soon asked to share his thoughts on the comparison, who claimed that being mentioned in the same sentence as the German was a good thing altogether, though there's a long road lying ahead.

The 24-year-old's start to the 2025 season did not go in his favor, as he finished a dismal ninth, while his teammate, Lando Norris, emerged victorious at the Australian GP. Since then, Piastri began the journey of making chunks of Norris' lead, without falling prey to major mistakes and retaining a cool head in a 24-race championship.

This has helped him amass a 34-point lead over his teammate, essentially giving him a cushion for a race weekend over the Brit. His stance within the paddock had led some to compare him to Schumacher. When asked about how he felt about the comparison, Piastri said, during the post-race press conference:

"Anytime you get mentioned in the same sentence as Michael Schumacher, that's a good thing. I’ve got a hell of a long way to go to be talked about in the same air as someone like him but I'll take it."

Norris' DNF meant that Oscar Piastri gained 25 points over the Briton in the standings, with the former going from trailing the championship leader by 9 to 34 points in a race weekend.

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Oscar Piastri not in relaxation mode despite amassing his biggest lead in the championship standings so far

Oscar Piastri after winning the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of the Netherlands - Source: Getty

The Dutch GP became the venue for Oscar Piastri's seventh race victory this year. Moreover, this win came after he suffered a strategic loss to Lando Norris before the summer break, where the latter won three of the four race weekends between Austria and Hungary.

So, having a sudden change of momentum after Norris' DNF has provided the 24-year-old a substantial advantage with nine race weekends to spare. Despite this, Piastri has asserted that he intended to win more races before the end of the season, as an unfortunate retirement from a race can tumble his lead in a jiff. He explained in the post-race press conference:

"No, I don’t think so. There’s still a long way to go. I need to keep pushing and trying to win races still. I wouldn’t say it’s a very comfortable margin. As we saw today, it can change with one DNF very, very quickly. So this far out from the end of the year, it’s not a comfortable gap."

Meanwhile, whoever wins the drivers' championship, between Piastri and Norris, this will be the first time the title returns to Woking since Lewis Hamilton's victory with the squad in 2008.