Oscar Piastri issues warning to McLaren ahead of Miami Grand Prix

Australian Formula 1 star Oscar Piastri has laid down the law to his own team as the championship battle begins to go up a notch.

Oscar Piastri may have won three out of the opening five races in 2025, but the Australian driver issued a blunt warning to his own team.

McLaren have been the team to beat so far this season, currently 77 points in front of Mercedes on the constructors standings.

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Despite the impressive start, Piastri feels the team still haven’t quite pieced it all together and believes the gap is closing.

The 24-year-old ended up racing to victory during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

While he was never really challenged in the latter stages of the race, Piastri said that while the team still holds the upper hand … they can’t get complacent.

Oscar says the team can’t get complacent. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

“I think our car was still quicker,” Piastri said after the race.

“It was difficult to be in dirty air. Max was quicker than I expected for sure in the race.

“Over one lap, it wasn’t a huge surprise to see Max quick, but in the race, I wasn’t expecting to struggle so much at the end of the medium stint, that’s for sure.

“Clearly, we’ve got some work to do.

“Our car is still very good, but when you look at the layout here compared to Suzuka, it’s the most similar so far, and it’s been the two where Max and Red Bull have been closer.

“We still have an advantage. I don’t think it’s as big on surfaces like this and layouts like this, but we still have a very strong car at the moment.”

The Aussie is now the man to beat. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)

Piastri’s win launched him into the lead of the drivers standings, making him the first Australian to lead the championship since his agent, Mark Webber, 15 years ago.

In the wake of his latest victory, the Formula 1 world wanted to do nothing more than talk about the Aussie.

Even Verstappen who was left seething after copping a five-second penalty for an opening lap incident with Piastri was happy to discuss the McLaren star.

“I think I’ve said it before, people forget a little bit – last year was his (Oscar Piastri’s) second year. Now he’s in his third year, and he’s very solid,” he said.

“He’s very calm in his approach, and I like that. It shows on track. He delivers when he has to, barely makes mistakes – and that’s what you need when you want to fight for a championship.”

Oscar is as cool as the flip side of the pillow. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

F1 guru Martin Brundle was one of many saying Verstappen has met his match in the mild-mannered Victorian, essentially telling the Dutchman to watch his back.

“You’ll not find many people in and around F1 who think Max is anything other than the best driver on the grid right now,” Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column.

“But Oscar Piastri at McLaren is learning fast, and despite being 163 race starts behind Verstappen and 82 F1 races behind Norris experience-wise, he’s now won 10 per cent of his 51 race starts and leads the world championship. And he’ll only get better.”

Spanish newspaper El Pais also said Verstappen has “met his match” in Piastri.

The Formula 1 paddock will return to the grid when the Miami Grand Prix gets underway on May 5 from 6am (AEST).

Originally published as Oscar Piastri issues warning to McLaren ahead of Miami Grand Prix