Martin Brundle Backs Oscar Piastri Over Lando Norris After Dominant Miami GP Win
Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle has thrown his support behind Oscar Piastri, saying the young Australian has the upper hand over teammate Lando Norris following a flawless win at the Miami Grand Prix.
Monday’s victory marked Piastri’s third straight Formula 1 win—something no McLaren driver has achieved in nearly three decades. The last time an Aussie strung together three wins was Alan Jones back in 1980-81.
With this win, Piastri now leads the Formula 1 drivers’ championship, 16 points ahead of Norris.
“When it comes to race craft, [Piastri’s] definitely got the edge over Norris,” Brundle said. “Norris might have a slight pace advantage, but Oscar’s the one executing. He’s pulling off passes, staying clean, and winning races.”
Brundle emphasized that Piastri’s consistency has been the key to his growing success. That sentiment was echoed by 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button, who said, “His pace was unbelievable.”
“Oscar did an amazing job this weekend,” Button added. “Once he gets in front, he’s just dominant. He controls the race—it’s impressive to watch.”
Piastri started Monday’s race in fourth, quickly surged to second within the first few laps, and overtook pole-sitter Max Verstappen on lap 14. By lap 18, he had built an eight-second lead and held onto it, finishing ahead of Norris. George Russell took the final spot on the podium after capitalizing on a Virtual Safety Car period, bumping Verstappen down to fourth.
“This is the race I really wanted to win,” Piastri said. “Qualifying was tough, and the sprint was what it was. But to walk away with a win on Sunday is huge.”
Piastri noted a bit of chaos at the first corner worked in his favor. “I avoided the trouble with Max at turn one, and the car felt unbelievable today,” he said. “By the end, I got things under control. I’m thrilled with the win and the points, but there’s always more to learn.”
Reflecting on his team’s turnaround, Piastri added, “Two years ago in Miami, we were the slowest car on the grid. We got lapped—twice. To win by over 35 seconds to third place now shows how far we’ve come.”
Piastri has now won four of the season’s six races and is emerging as a strong favorite for the championship.
As for Norris, he started second on the grid next to Verstappen but lost ground early after trying an aggressive move and running off track. “He forced me off… what am I supposed to do, crash into the wall?” Norris said over team radio.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella praised both drivers, saying the team knew they had the fastest car in the hot Miami conditions. “The car was very competitive today,” Stella said. “We did a great job of maximizing our performance in the heat.”
In other news, young Australian driver Jack Doohan had a rough outing in Miami. His race ended almost as soon as it began after a collision with Liam Lawson at turn one caused a puncture. Lawson continued, but Doohan was forced to retire.
Doohan had just outqualified his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly for the first time, starting 14th. Sky Sports’ David Croft summed it up as “wretched luck” for the 22-year-old.
