Max Verstappen continued his sheer dominance at Suzuka this weekend as he won the race by a whopping 20 seconds ahead of second-placed Lando Norris. The Japanese Grand Prix was the Dutchman’s 13th victory of the season and 15th podium overall. Since the 25-year-old has regularly finished on the podium, several fans have interestingly named the chats in the cool-down room after each race the ‘Max Verstappen podcast‘. While the Red Bull driver has made it clear that he does not like the name and is looking to change it, fellow podium finisher Oscar Piastri gave him the perfect reply.
Piastri got his first experience of the cool-down room after he finished on the podium at Suzuka for the very first time in his F1 career. The closest that the 22-year-old came to finishing on the podium prior to the race in Japan was at the British Grand Prix when he finished fourth.
As for Verstappen, he is just one sprint race away from grabbing his third F1 title. With a 177-point lead over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez in the championship, the 25-year-old could clinch his third title if he wins the sprint at Qatar two weeks from now.
Oscar Piastri was just happy to be on the ‘Max Verstappen podcast‘
After Max Verstappen finished on the podium for the 15th time this season, the interviewer asked him about his ‘podcast’. In reply, the Dutchman said, “I don’t even know who came up with that because I don’t even like podcasts. They make me fall asleep“.
The 25-year-old then added that he is looking to rename the same and looked at both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for suggestions. When Verstappen looked at Piastri, the Australian gave a fantastic reply.
max hating the “max verstappen podcast” wanting a rebrand vs oscar who was just happy to be a guest 🥲 pic.twitter.com/9AWD9GtEFx
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) September 24, 2023
The 22-year-old said, “I don’t know. I was just happy to be a guest“. Piastri was just happy to be a guest as it was his first podium in F1 that he was celebrating. He will now hope to carry forward this fantastic form into the remaining races of the season.
Piastri’s maiden podium is a fantastic sign of things to come for McLaren fans
Oscar Piastri has been a delight to watch this season as he has delivered some fantastic performances despite only being a rookie. The Australian has repeatedly showcased how quick he is during qualifying by also outqualifying McLaren teammate Lando Norris on several occasions.
The only thing that has perhaps let the 22-year-old down this season is the way he has managed his tires. Since Piastri is only in his first F1 season, he still has to gain experience in managing his tires to ensure that his races are not affected by them wearing out too soon. However, with Piastri finally getting a podium, the future definitely seems bright for McLaren fans.
Both the 2021 F2 champion and McLaren will now hope to build on the same to perhaps challenge Red Bull in the future. If the Woking-based outfit are indeed able to discover enough pace, Piastri or Norris may not be too far from registering their first F1 victory.
