Oscar Piastri might just be Max Verstappen's most formidable adversary in the near future

Oscar Piastri might just be Max Verstappen's most formidable adversary when the dust finally settles at the front of the grid. The Australian has been very impressive in the 18 or so months that he's been in F1.

Very quickly he's established himself as one of the key talents in F1 right now. Considering how he won the race in Baku, he surely gave quite a few people an indication that he might just be the primary challenger to the Dutch driver.

The 2024 F1 season has been a strange one. We've had as many as seven different race winners, but what stands out this year is the ability of all these protagonists to be in contention heading into a weekend.

For the F1 Azerbaijan GP, one would not have been surprised if either of the seven race winners of the season picked up another win. While this is certainly a golden period for the sport, it won't be long before one team finds something and then uses it to nail the advantage. It certainly won't be long before a set pecking order once again gets established.

With that being said, one would not be surprised if Max Verstappen continues to be the benchmark in F1. There is, however, one driver who is sneakingly starting to establish himself as a possible force for the future.

Stepping up to F1 in 2023, Oscar Piastri has established himself as one of the best drivers on the grid right now in a very short span. There are, however, a few things that might make him stand out in the pack that's trying to chase down Max Verstappen. Let's take a look.

Oscar Piastri's emergence as Max Verstappen's primary contender?

The rapid rise to the top

There's no other way to put it but Oscar Piastri's rise to the top has been nothing short of remarkable. Everyone knew he was a fast driver even before he joined F1. He'd won multiple junior titles and had been very good in terms of adapting to a new series very quickly. The fact that he continues to do the same thing in F1 is nothing short of remarkable.

Coming into 2024, there was one major weakness that Oscar had compared to his teammate Lando Norris, his race pace. The long runs and an ability to just keep the tires in that perfect window were something that has made Max Verstappen a generational talent in F1 and it is something that young talents tend to struggle with often.

It has taken some time for Oscar as well but finally, he has nailed it. The Australian is more or less on par with the frontrunners.

The fact that he has done it in such a short period of time deserves praise and should also make rivals wonder if there's more that's still left to be unleashed.

The unflappable nature

What made the race win against Charles Leclerc at Baku even more special was that it's not a case of a driver jumping into the lead and then cruising away to a win. This was a case of a driver being under constant pressure from his rival, and he fended off all of it.

At the moment, Oscar Piastri is getting ever closer to a complete package and this race was a perfect demonstration of that.

Ability to not make mistakes under pressure

When you compare Oscar Piastri to his fellow top drivers who are vying for that top spot, what is one area where it appears he has an edge? Well, it's the ability to just not make mistakes in crucial situations. Piastri had to be flawless to win the race and that meant holding off the pressure from Charles Leclerc.

This thing is, this holds true for Oscar most of the time. Unlike a Lando Norris, or a Charles Leclerc, or a George Russell who have had to temper their driving in a manner that they iron out the crashes, Oscar hasn't had to go through that process.

One thing that makes Max Verstappen such an unstoppable force in F1 is his ability to just turn up every weekend again and again and not make mistakes. He'll have his races where he's forced to make aggressive moves but none of them would lead to a place where he ends up crashing.

Unlike his contemporaries, including Max Verstappen, who showed a vociferous pace early in their careers and cut out the mistakes, Oscar Piastri has ramped up his pace while keeping a tab on mistakes from the very beginning.

F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan - Source: Getty

There's still more to come

The Oscar Piastri we saw in Baku was impressive. This was a driver who would no doubt be compared to the best drivers on the grid (including Max Verstappen). This is, however, not the final form of what we can expect from the Australian.

There's still a margin for improvement left for the 23-year-old. Most importantly, he's just 18 or so months into his F1 career. That's the time when careers kick off, not end.

There are going to be areas where Oscar Piastri continues to get better and if there is someone who looks at his trajectory in the sport and thinks this is the peak, he's mistaken for sure.