2025 is turning out to be Oscar Piastri’s year. When the season began, his teammate Lando Norris was considered the favorite, but the narrative is shifting now, with Piastri already winning three of the first five races. Everything seems to be going his way on the track. That said, he doesn’t have full control over what’s happening off it.
Piastri secured his second win of the season in Bahrain, and naturally, in the post-race press conference, he was joined by second-place finisher George Russell and third-placed Norris.
Piastri had dominated the race but, understandably, given the hot weather in Bahrain, was tired and would have preferred some peace — quietly answering a few questions before calling it a night. However, Russell did something that annoyed the Melbourne-born driver.
While Piastri was in the middle of answering a question, he was interrupted by a loud noise coming from the other side of the couch. It turned out that Russell had turned on the race highlights on his phone — with the commentary on full blast.
“This guy,” he said, exasperated at Russell and hilariously, the brief interruption left Piastri completely speechless.
“See? I lost my train of thought now,” the 24-year-old added.
FIA post-race press conference – Bahrain https://t.co/8AmwYFrVfG Catch the highlights from the FIA post-race press conference in Bahrain, featuring insights from Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris of McLaren, along with George Russell from Mercedes. Discove… https://t.co/8AmwYFrVfG.
— America’s Pick (@nims213) April 13, 2025
No sooner had Piastri made those comments than the camera panned to Russell, whose cheeky smile and casual shrug made it seem as though he had deliberately tried to unsettle the Australian ace in a lighthearted attempt to prank him.
But do Russell and Piastri even share the kind of relationship that warrants that?
While the duo have always shared a cordial relationship, they don’t seem to be close friends. They also haven’t directly competed against each other for long enough to develop any real rivalry. As a result, they appear to be on good terms without being particularly close — something that could change if Russell continues to improve.
This season, Russell has proven capable of fighting at the front, with three podium finishes already to his name, meaning Piastri could be seeing plenty of the Briton.
That said, when it comes to the championship, Piastri clearly holds the upper hand. He currently leads the standings with 99 points, 26 clear of the Mercedes driver.
