Rookie Oscar Piastri is viewed by ex-Formula 1 driver Timo Glock has someone who can “put pressure” on reigning World Champion Max Verstappen in the future, should he have a car good enough to do so.
Piastri’s maiden F1 campaign has been one of the talking points of the season, with the Australian rapidly building in stature.
Following a slow start to the season due to McLaren’s car having been underwhelming, Piastri has come to life in recent rounds.
Since the Woking-based team introduced a sizeable upgrade at the Austrian Grand Prix, the young star has been sensational.
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He’s claimed two top five finishes in the last three races, whilst he even finished second recently in the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race.
The former Formula 2 and Formula 3 World Champion is already close to matching talented team-mate Lando Norris, highlighting just how quick Piastri is.
Piastri will only get faster as well the longer he’s in the sport, something which convinces Glock that he’s got a “great future ahead of him”.
“For a rookie driving for the first time in F1 at Spa-Francorchamps he was very impressive,” said Glock, as reported by the Mirror.
“He has a great future ahead of him and has done everything well so far this season. In qualifying he is on a par with Lando Norris. He is doing it consistently and very well.
“In the future, he will definitely be someone who will convince with his talent and who can put pressure on Verstappen if given the right opportunities.”
Whether Piastri can challenge Verstappen in the future remains to be seen; however, for the time being there is nobody who can compete with the two-time World Champion.
Verstappen entered the summer break on a run of eight consecutive wins, whilst he’s claimed 10 victories overall in 2023.
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With the next round being the Dutch Grand Prix, Glock expects Verstappen to continue his dominance at Zandvoort.
“Verstappen will pick up where he left off after the summer break at Spa,” added Glock.
“The world champion is currently at an incredibly high level and is proving that nothing, not even sixth place on the grid, can deter him. At the moment, there is nothing that can stop Verstappen.”