Max Verstappen has been the best driver of the 2023 F1 season, so far, as all the other drivers are fighting for P2 behind him. The Red Bull driver and his mighty RB-19 have been no match to his rivals, even after multiple tries. However, there was one driver who impressed everyone the most, and he is none other than Oscar Piastri. According to Dutch GP Blog, he can be the main title rival of Verstappen in the coming years, and not Lewis Hamilton.
After battling for supremacy in the 2021 F1 season with Lewis Hamilton, the 2022 season went easy for the Red Bull driver. The scenario is almost the same even in 2023 where the two-time world champion won 10 out of 12 races and will claim his third world championship in a few races.
As the rivals failed to catch the defending champion, there was one team that showed impressive signs of improvement and it was McLaren. Together with Lando Norris and Piastri, the Papays have given the Austrian team and the Dutchman a hard time. They were tough against Red Bull in the United Kingdom and Hungary and now Piastri has come up to be a future title contender.
Piastri stood above the rest against the mighty Verstappen
During the ongoing F1 summer break, everyone has been evaluating the driver performances so far. Dutch GP Blog did the same as numerous drivers’ names came up on the list.
Apart from Verstappen, drivers such as Lando Norris, Alexander Albon, and Fernando Alonso’s name came up. But among them, Piastri stood out from the rest, who stands in P11 with 34 points in the drivers’ championship.
Admittedly, the Australian driver is having a mega rookie season with the Papayas. So much so that the young Aussie led a Sprint race at Red Bull Ring and narrowly missed the podium at Silverstone.
Can Piastri get the better of Norris before Verstappen?
Given the way McLaren has come ahead with their upgrades, there are lots of expectations on them to get their car to be championship worthy in the seasons to come. If that happens, there will surely be an intra-team rivalry between Norris and Piastri.
Many think that the British driver would be the first champion McLaren since 2008, but the Australian driver will not make it easy for Norris. Given how the latter has shown that he can settle into the team very quickly.
Oscar Piastri performing like Lewis Hamilton in his rookie season has gained huge expectations from the fans. They are eager to know if Piastri can pull off something as stellar as Hamilton did against Fernando Alonso in 2007.
