Championship leader Piastri ‘enjoys’ being the hunted as he identifies biggest threat in Miami

Current Drivers’ Championship leader Oscar Piastri has insisted he “quite enjoys” being the hunted rather than the hunter as it means “he is doing something right”.

Victory last time out in Saudi Arabia moved the McLaren driver to the top of the championship standings, with the Australian opening up a 10-point lead over team mate Lando Norris heading into this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.

Piastri is familiar with leading championships having stormed to back-to back titles in Formula Renault Eurocup, Formula 3 and Formula 2 from 2019-2021, but leading the F1 standings is a new milestone for the Australian, who has taken three wins from this year’s five races.

While leading the championship can often bring extra pressure, Piastri – who has frequently been hailed for his calm demeanor – says he is feeling relaxed and prefers his new position as the driver to be hunted down.

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - APRIL 20: Race winner Oscar Piastri of Australia driving the (81) McLaren — Oscar Piastri has won three of the five races to date this year, including last time out in Jeddah

“To be honest it [ leading the championship] doesn’t really feel that much different,” said Piastri in Miami. “Again I’m not really that concerned with that. I’m just trying to get the best performance I can every weekend and make sure I drive as well as possible, and make the car as good as possible.

“I think, for myself I quite enjoy being in the position of being hunted because normally that means you are doing something right. I’m pretty relaxed, the gap is very small and we are only at round five or six now, so I’m not too concerned with that.

“I’m very proud of the reason why I’m leading the championship because Melbourne was a tricky start and we have had four very successful races since then. It is a great effort from myself and the whole team. I’m proud of the performance we have put in to achieve that championship leader position rather than actually leading the championship.”

Looking ahead to the battle on the streets of Miami, Piastri – who finished 13th while Norris took a maiden F1 win at the event last year – believes his team mate could edge Red Bull’s Max Verstappen as his biggest challenger this weekend.

Piastri: ‘The process is exactly the same’ despite leading the championship

“I think Lando,” said Piastri, when asked whether Norris or Verstappen will offer the biggest threat.

“We are obviously in the same car, so I know the strength of that, obviously Lando is not a slow driver himself so we will wait and see what the pecking order is like, but I think our car has been consistently strong.

“I think the Red Bull has got very close in a few races like Suzuka and Jeddah. In Jeddah it was probably the most competitive race of the year, but I think we have been consistently strong at all the circuits so far.

“Miami is going to be another challenge with hot temperatures, and interesting tarmac and surface, and is a slow speed circuit. I think that will be quite a factor this weekend.”