Martin Brundle spies alternate Max Verstappen approach to Oscar Piastri: 'A different animal'

Former F1 driver Martin Brundle believes Max Verstappen treats Oscar Piastri differently to McLaren team-mate Lando Norris in wheel-to-wheel combat. Piastri, Norris and Verstappen are the only three drivers who have taken to the top step of the podium this year, with the latter managing just one win for Red Bull. The drivers' championship is currently being led by Piastri, who has secured four victories in the opening six rounds. Piastri engaged in combat with Verstappen at the last two races in Jeddah and Miami, as the pair battled for the lead at both events. The Australian has made a notable step forward last year, as team-mate Norris was Verstappen's primary challenger in 2024. When asked if Verstappen races Piastri differently to Norris, Brundle told Sky F1 : “100 per cent. Unquestionably “He [Verstappen] knows that there’s something a bit more street fighter about Oscar Piastri. “He saw it in Jeddah. Max knows he got a different animal than Lando when Oscar is in his mirrors - not by much. “Just positioning the car, there’s a decisiveness about what he did.” While Brundle suggested he feels Verstappen can take more liberties when racing Norris, the 65-year-old sent praise the way of the McLaren driver. Norris endured a poor start to the Miami Grand Prix as he dropped to sixth place after starting on the front row, but recovered to finish a handful of seconds behind Piastri in the runner-up spot. “You can’t criticise Lando’s racecraft, because the way he passed the Mercedes and eventually passed Max was just top drawer in particular,” Brundle said. “But I have absolutely no doubt that Max realises that Oscar is a different deal in wheel-to-wheel combat.”