Oscar Piastri in telling act towards Lando Norris after McLaren cop setback
However, it was Norris' crassh that raised eyebrows within the McLaren team. Norris will now start back in 10th position having hit thewall during Saturday's qualifying session. Norris has been facing pressure all season from outside of McLaren with critics suggesting the battle with teammate Piastri is getting to him.
This comes after Piastri was given permission by the McLaren hierarchy to chase the drivers championship without fear, despite one of his biggest rivals being his teammate. Since the Melbourne GP, Piastri won the Chinese GP, finish third in Japan and won in Bahrain.
He sits second on the drivers championship behind Norris and if he can capitalise starting second on the grid in the powerful McLaren car, Piastri could find himself leading the season after Saudi Arabia. This is clearly frustrating the young British star who let loose on the team radio after the crash having labelled himself a "f*****g idiot" on the team radio after crashing.
"Makes sense, I agree with it," Norris said later. "Should be fighting for pole. On first lap in Q3 I shouldn't be taking any silly risks like I seem to have done.
This is the moment that cost Lando Norris a chance at pole position tonight 😮🔽#F1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/QvzYSUYrha
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 19, 2025
"I shunted so I'm not going to be proud, I'm not going to be happy. I have let myself down and let the team down. The car was going strong so disappointed. It has made my life and everyone's in the team much harder because everyone has a big job to try and fix everything."
While plenty is being made out about their rivalry on the track, Piastri showed class as he walked by Norris and checked on his teammate after the crash. And while Norris would have been frustrated with his drive, Piastri admitted he was pleased with second on the grid and was confident of going one better come race day.
Oscar Piastri thrilled ahead of race day having admitted he wasn't too disappointed in missing out on pole position. "To be honest, I was pretty happy with it. It wasn't too much more left in that lap. Happy with the job I did," Piastri said.
"We were playing catch-up a little bit through the first part of qualifying and then that last lap felt more and less like the best I could've done. I think Max has done a good job. It's another high-speed circuit for [Red Bull], where they seem to be having a little bit more success - but a good job again.
"Still all to play for tomorrow. I think our pace is good. It's going to be a tough race, and the tyres are a bit softer than last year, so we'll see if that plays to our advantage." Piastri is looking to become the first Australian since Mark Webber in 2010 to lead the drivers championship. However, four-time champ Verstappen will back himself to hold the lead, like he did in Japan for the entire race, and take the lead in the drivers championship.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Verstappen doesn't think Horner's firing 'will matter at all' for his future at Red Bull
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Max Verstappen doesn't think Christian Horner's firing at Red Bull 'will matter at all" amid speculation that he could leave the team after this season. 'Life is unpredictable, but in general I'm very happy where I'm at and I hope — and it was still the target that we set out when we signed the new deal — that I would drive here until the end of my career,' Verstappen said Thursday at the Belgian Grand Prix. Verstappen has won the last four F1 titles while racing under Horner but sits third this year behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. 'The relationship between myself and Christian, that doesn't change,' Verstappen said. 'Of course, he's not here now during a race weekend, but he's still like a second family to me.' Verstappen's contract at Red Bull runs through 2028 but there have been indications that a performance-related clause could allow him to exit earlier. The exact details are not public. 'I don't think it will matter at all for my decision in the future, and the only thing that matters is that we work on the car and make it as fast as we can," Verstappen said. "The last one and a half years have not been what we want to be. Now we try and be more competitive this year a little bit, but for sure also with the new regulations.' Laurent Mekies of sister team Racing Bulls replaced Horner as team principal. 'I've had a few meetings with him already,' Verstappen said. 'I cannot say right now within two weeks of not even action on track that suddenly everything is different or better, but we are trying to be better and it's been good.' ___ AP auto racing: The Associated Press


San Francisco Chronicle
22 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Verstappen doesn't think Horner's firing 'will matter at all' for his future at Red Bull
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Max Verstappen doesn't think Christian Horner's firing at Red Bull 'will matter at all" amid speculation that he could leave the team after this season. 'Life is unpredictable, but in general I'm very happy where I'm at and I hope — and it was still the target that we set out when we signed the new deal — that I would drive here until the end of my career,' Verstappen said Thursday at the Belgian Grand Prix. Verstappen has won the last four F1 titles while racing under Horner but sits third this year behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. 'The relationship between myself and Christian, that doesn't change,' Verstappen said. 'Of course, he's not here now during a race weekend, but he's still like a second family to me.' Verstappen's contract at Red Bull runs through 2028 but there have been indications that a performance-related clause could allow him to exit earlier. The exact details are not public. 'I don't think it will matter at all for my decision in the future, and the only thing that matters is that we work on the car and make it as fast as we can," Verstappen said. "The last one and a half years have not been what we want to be. Now we try and be more competitive this year a little bit, but for sure also with the new regulations.' Laurent Mekies of sister team Racing Bulls replaced Horner as team principal. 'I've had a few meetings with him already,' Verstappen said. 'I cannot say right now within two weeks of not even action on track that suddenly everything is different or better, but we are trying to be better and it's been good.' ___
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The route to Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua and why this fight makes more sense than you think
Is Jake Paul really going to box Anthony Joshua? There have been mixed messages this week, but this might not be the unthinkable fight that some think it is. Paul has recently made known his desire to face the British heavyweight star, and after beating ex-world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in late June, the YouTuber has turned his attention to a potential bout with 'AJ'. It would not be Paul's first time fighting a former world heavyweight champion, given he boxed a 58-year-old Mike Tyson – and won on points – in November. But Joshua is a different prospect altogether, even coming off a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September. Joshua recently underwent surgery due to an elbow injury and, according to his promoter Eddie Hearn, may have further physical issues to address. As such, Joshua's next move is up in the air. But Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi adviser behind the Gulf nation's aggressive entry into boxing in recent years, has now addressed a potential clash between Joshua, 35, and Paul, 28. 'Me and [Jake Paul] are thinking [about] doing him against Anthony Joshua now,' Alalshikh told The Ring, a magazine that he owns. 'If Joshua destroys him, it will be good for me; the headache of Jake Paul is finished. If Jake wins, I will know Joshua is finished and Jake deserves a ranking and a future in boxing. Jake accepted it, next week I will talk with Joshua about it.' Within those words, Alalshikh was referring to the fact that Paul is now a ranked cruiserweight per the WBA. The Saudi adviser and the American influencer have traded barbs from afar in recent months, with Alalshikh taking issue with Paul's matchmaking in his own bouts. Paul was on the verge of signing a fight with modern great Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez earlier this year, but Alalshikh was able to thwart that contest and get the Mexican to sign a four-bout deal with Riyadh Season. Canelo has already fought once under that deal, beating William Scull to regain undisputed status at super-middleweight – a status that he will defend against multi-weight champion Terence Crawford in September. Could that leave Paul to square off with Joshua? Potentially, although Paul seems to resent the idea that Alalshikh would be involved. The YouTuber-turned-boxer appeared to address the situation on Thursday (17 July), when he wrote on X/Twitter: 'I will do what I want, with who I want, when I want, in the boxing ring. 'Anyone, anytime, anyplace. You rodents talk so much s*** but when I want to take on the biggest challenges you start having panic attacks and deciding my demise.' Hearn told Pro Boxing Fans last week: 'Yeah, I was with His Excellency [Alalshikh] yesterday, obviously he'd met Jake Paul. I think he would like to do it, you know, but it's mad enough to happen. 'It's not something we expected, it's not something we're targeting, [but] if it's offered to us, I would be shocked if AJ didn't accept it. Why wouldn't you? The plan for us is to fight Tyson Fury next year, if we can squeeze in Jake Paul along the way and you guys want AJ to end this whole process, he'll gladly do it.' On Hearn's rhetorical question: Why wouldn't Joshua accept the fight? Paul's boxing history shows that he can guarantee himself and his opponent an enormous payday, and AJ would naturally back himself to make short work of the American. Paul is 12-1 as a professional with 7 KO wins, but he lost his most evenly-matched fight, suffering a points defeat by Tommy Fury (half-brother of Tyson Fury) in 2023. Although Hearn endorses Joshua's pursuits of a Tyson Fury fight and three-time world-champion status, the Matchroom boss would surely back Joshua to take the Paul bout. Hearn has had his own issues with the YouTuber in recent years, namely a defamation lawsuit against MVP that was settled out of court at the end of March. And while Paul was unable to secure a fight with Canelo, he came remarkably close and was only undone by Alalshikh's interference and Saudi money. This time, Alalshikh actively wants to make a Paul fight, if only to see the 28-year-old beaten. Paul's dealings with Canelo may actually be evidence that he could lock down a fight with Joshua, too. Paul spent years chasing Canelo, who dismissed the influencer as an unfairly easy opponent, and eventually an agreement was struck. Paul vs Canelo was an unthinkable fight, until suddenly it wasn't. The same can be said of Paul vs Joshua. The British public wants and arguably needs Joshua vs Fury, a generational domestic clash, now that the latter has come out of retirement yet again. Yet Paul vs Joshua might just be likelier than Joshua vs Fury. Imagine that.