Oscar Piastri praised as “calmest head” in F1 as Max Verstappen comparison made
“Kimi Raikkonen was known as the Iceman in Formula 1, but I’ve even seen him more animated than Oscar.”
Ex-F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has praised Oscar Piastri for having the “calmest head” in F1.
Piastri currently leads the F1 drivers’ championship by 10 points.
The McLaren driver has won five of the opening nine races, three more than teammate Lando Norris.
Piastri has enjoyed a remarkable turnaround compared to last year, particularly in qualifying.
In 2025, Piastri has out-qualified Norris five times - one more than the entirety of last year.
Writing on the official F1 website, Palmer hailed Piastri for how he’s dealt with pressure.
“Oscar also seems to have the calmest head, certainly that I can remember, in Formula 1,” Palmer wrote.
“It’s still early stages in his career and we haven’t yet seen him under title-deciding pressures – that’ll come later this year – but the man is insanely calm with whatever is going on around him.
“Kimi Raikkonen was known as the Iceman in Formula 1, but I’ve even seen him more animated than Oscar.”
Piastri and Verstappen compared
Max Verstappen had a difficult weekend in Barcelona.
Max Verstappen was hit with a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points after he collided with George Russell deliberately.
Verstappen was irked by Red Bull’s decision to put him on hard tyres and then being pushed off the track by Russell.
Palmer believes a key advantage Piastri has over Verstappen is his ability to “stay so composed” and thus not squander any big points opportunities.
“This can only be a strength to be able to stay so composed – I’ve yet to see him make pressure mistakes and you can’t imagine him squandering points due to red mist, as Max Verstappen did on Sunday,” he added.
“He’s not been perfect this season. In Melbourne he was unlucky to lose a heap of points going off in the rain, but he was napping for the Imola start when ge got passed by Verstappen, and was a bit scrappy in Monaco too. There have been enough chances for Lando to stay in the hunt, and the title battle remains close, with Oscar just 10 points to the good.
“But from what I’ve seen so far, Oscar absolutely has the makeup of a champion, in a season where he’s turned his weaknesses into strengths.”
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
