Oscar Piastri Is Confident to Take on Red Bull but Not Max Verstappen

Many tout the Australian prodigy Oscar Piastri to be a future world champion. However, how does he fancy his chances in the 2024 Formula 1 championship campaign? Ahead of the Canadian GP, the 23-year-old answered this question. With McLaren’s current level of competitiveness and performance, he believes there is a chance of winning the constructors’ championship, not the driver’s. From Piastri’s point-of-view, Max Verstappen is out of their reach but not Red Bull.

In an interaction with TSN, the Aussie said, “I think in the driver’s standings, it’s going to be difficult. I’m quite a fair way behind now, but I think in the constructors, definitely, I think it’s still reasonably open.”

“We’re obviously happy with being in third at the moment compared to last season. But like you said, Ferrari is not that far ahead. Red Bull is not that much further ahead either.”

Piastri cited how one bad weekend for either of the teams ahead can change the picture of the championship standings. So, with McLaren pushing to be regularly in the mix for the win, they can reduce the points deficit quickly, and “the championship picture starts to be more favorable” for them.

From Piastri‘s perspective, the driver’s championship is out of the question. He is 98 points behind the leader Max Verstappen ahead of the Canadian GP race. With even the qualifying in Canada as proof, the Dutchman’s individual quality can make the difference.

Despite facing troubles with the RB20 on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, he recorded the same time as the pole sitter. So, overcoming the 98-point deficit even with 16 races to go seems unlikely for the Australian.

However, it’s a bit more competitive on the constructors’ side of the table. Red Bull is still in the lead with 276 points. They are being closely followed by Ferrari with 252 points. Meanwhile, McLaren is right on the tail as well with 184 points.

From the top, the Woking outfit is just 92 points behind, which is not a huge deficit for a simple reason. The Red Bull Racing is currently reliant on one man.

Red Bull’s reliance on Max Verstappen can cost them the constructors’ championship

Since 2023, Red Bull has been reliant on the Dutchman’s superiority. While Sergio Perez was struggling to get into Q3, Verstappen was racking up wins. He almost single-handedly won the constructors’ championship for the Austrian outfit last season. However, that won’t be the case in the current campaign.

The grid has caught up to the runaway Milton Keynes outfit. There have already been four different winners in the first eight races of the season. The reigning champions’ pace advantage has been reduced significantly.

Now, the fundamental flaws in the RB20 are being exposed and taken advantage of. This scenario coupled with Perez’s continued shoddy qualifying performances hampering the final result is a massive problem.

So, on the driver’s championship front, Verstappen can use his individual quality and maintain his championship lead till the end. However, the Austrian outfit needs both its drivers to perform now more than ever if they want to retain the constructors’ title.