Oscar Piastri ‘great asset’ identified by Brundle as title battle intensifies

Reflecting on McLaren’s controversial decision making in the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix prompted Martin Brundle to reveal what he believes are Oscar Piastri’s “great assets.”

And those assets are all the more critical given how dramatically they differ from McLaren teammate Lando Norris’ skills.

Martin Brundle identifies Oscar Piastri “great asset”

With the Hungarian Grand Prix leading the Formula 1 field into 2025’s mandatory summer shutdown period, there has been plenty of time to reflect on the major journey McLaren has taken over the past year.

Oscar Piastri took his first F1 victory at the 2024 Hungarian event, albeit in somewhat controversial circumstances.

Piastri had an early lead of the race, but teammate Lando Norris was allowed to pit first for fresh tyres and in the process undercut Piastri to assume first place after the Australian cycled out of the pits. McLaren invoked team orders to request Norris allow Piastri by, albeit not without some frustration on the Briton’s part.

It put something of a damper on Piastri’s inaugural F1 victory, and it raised plenty of questions about McLaren’s goals, as it was Norris who was chasing Max Verstappen for the championship. But one year later, the Hungarian Grand Prix told a very different story.

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Oscar Piastri had a strong start at the 2025 event, but it was ultimately Norris who would take victory heading into the summer break.

Whereas in 2024, Piastri’s victory only saw him snag enough points to hold his fifth place in the drivers’ title standings, 2025’s race saw him maintain his lead despite growing pressure from teammate Lando Norris.

But the year-to-year transformation provided Martin Brundle with plenty to consider on Sky Sports before the race, particularly as it pertains to the relative strengths and weaknesses of McLaren’s duo.

Though Charles Leclerc managed to snag pole at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, Piastri and Norris were undoubtedly quick as they’d been all season, prompting Brundle to remark of their performances, “There is very little between them, and it ebbs and flows on a weekend.”

But there are differences between both McLaren teammates.

“Sometimes Lando — all the tides and moons and stars align, and [he’s] blisteringly fast and absolutely on it.

“But Oscar is so rock solid in his delivery. Isn’t he so consistent?

“He’s so confident, he’s so calm, and that calm head when the pressure is really on in the closing stages, I think will be a great asset.”

With only nine points separating leader Piastri from his teammate in the drivers’ standings, he’ll need that level head to help him manage the pressure.

Brundle also touched on just what it was that McLaren learned from its highly criticized 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, saying of the team, “I think they’re learning all the time, aren’t they?

“And they definitely manage their two drivers well, in that the drivers understand they’ve got to play the team game. They’re allowed to race, they’re allowed to be individuals, but if you don’t play the team game, it just takes some pain somewhere else, and I think they’ve got that absolutely spot on.

“It’s been unfortunate last year, wasn’t it? They swapped the pit stops around to help one driver out when it compromised the other, but they sorted it out in the end, and I could understand Lando like, ‘right, I’m just gonna be Michael Schumacher or Sebastian Vettel; they wouldn’t have handed this victory back, even if I shouldn’t have had it.’

“So they sorted that out.

“I mean, Oscar has won a third of the Grand Prix since that moment, including that moment. So, you know, it certainly, it certainly was a nice ski slope for him.”

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