Oscar Piastri has emerged as the surprise leader in the 2025 Formula 1 world championship battle, and according to Sky F1’s Martin Brundle, the young McLaren star has now officially “put himself up as the man to beat.”
With five wins from the first nine races of the season, Piastri holds a slender 10-point advantage over teammate Lando Norris, while Max Verstappen lingers 49 points behind in the standings — and Brundle believes the clock is ticking for both rivals if they want to catch the cool-headed Australian.
While Norris enjoys the benefit of having the same equipment as his leading teammate, Red Bull is still struggling to iron out from its RB21 the inconsistencies that have hampered Verstappen so far this year.
“Piastri, having won five of them now, two for Norris, two for Verstappen, is really sort of, I think, putting himself up as the man to beat, the one that has got the best chance to take the world championship,” Brundle commented during Sky Sports F1's coverage of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.
“I think his calm head will play out beautifully later on in the year as well. So it's this phase of the season – and the season's rushing past, isn't it – that if Norris and Verstappen and Red Bull have got anything to come and fight Piastri and McLaren with, they need to deliver it now.”
Should Piastri win in Montreal this weekend, he would become the first Australian driver in F1 history to win more than five races in a single season – surpassing legends like Sir Jack Brabham and Alan Jones.
But while the 23-year-old acknowledges the stat, his focus remains firmly on the bigger picture.
“It is a nice stat to have,” Piastri said. “I'd be happier with the status of joining them [Brabham and Jones] as a world champion, but it has been a great start.
“To have five wins in nine races is beyond what I expected, even with a competitive car. But there have been a few moments I wish I could have won again in the season. On the whole, I am proud of the work I and the team have put in to achieve these kinds of things.”
For Piastri, the goal is clear: keep pushing, keep winning, and stay grounded.
“Whilst those stats are cool, it is not why I am here. I am here to try and win even more races and fight for a championship, so hopefully there are some cooler statistics to come,” he said.
Looking ahead to this weekend’s challenge in Canada, the 24-year-old is optimistic about his prospects.
“This weekend should be a good one for me. I've worked on a lot of things from last year, and this race was probably a good one already, but somewhat ironically, the races which were bad last year have probably been the best so far this year.
“And some of the races that were good last year haven't been great, so we will see how we go, but I am expecting a good weekend.”
“It is a track I enjoy, and it is very difficult to drive around here and not make mistakes, but I've been very comfortable with the car the whole year and feel like I am in a good place at the moment, so expect to be strong.”
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