Stella already considering a shift in McLaren? 'Oscar's win was quite impressive'

Oscar Piastri won from lights to flag at Bahrain, showing great mental fortitude and maturity. McLaren's team principal deems it impressive that the young driver can pull off such performances with only 50 Grand Prix under his name.

Piastri's best performance in F1 yet?

Given the nature of the young McLaren star's drive, it was natural the question was asked. His best performance in F1?

"Tricky question, because right now I would really need to go through what he did previously. If you think of the victory in Baku, for instance, that was a pretty crystalline, clinical victory — with Leclerc attacking him every single lap," said Stella to media at the Bahrain paddock, including GPblog, after the race.

Stella sees a relentless Piastri taking 'robust' win in only his 50th F1 race

"For me, this one was the most robust. No hesitations, no inaccuracies. Everything that was available, he capitalised on. So for me, this gives more the sense of robustness, solid racing," added the Italian.

In the 2024 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Piastri scored an impressive win, his second in the series, overtaking Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc with a daring maneuver into Turn 1, and then fending off the Monegasque's repeated attempts to regain the lead of the race.

Stella thinks highly of that win, as he uses it as the benchmark, against which he compares Piastri's most recent F1 success.

"I think the Baku one was more on the edge — more pressure. This one was more about managing gaps, being strong at the start, restarts. It shouldn’t be taken for granted from someone doing only his 50th Formula 1 race, which is quite impressive."

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Why the championship lead is now crucial for Norris and Piastri

Norris on the backfoot, Piastri now has the momentum in the 2025 F1 season

Piastri's McLaren teammate, Norris, has not been able to put together a solid F1 weekend since his win at the season opener, the Australian Grand Prix. With McLaren having the absolute best car on the grid, it was evident that Norris was the favourite for the title.

However with his inability to perform in the past three race weekends, and Piastri's astounding progression in F1, a shift in focus by McLaren as to who their championship contender will be when the time comes to make such a decision cannot be ruled out.

It must be noted that Norris still leads the Drivers' standings, albeit if by a mere 3 points, from teammate and rival, Piastri.

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Piastri acknowledges a battle between himself and Norris "will be tight" in 2025