'Oscar stepped up the most from last year'

Oscar Piastri may be the youngest and least experienced among the three title protagonists this season, but he clearly has been the most consistent, which has led him to stand atop the Formula 1 drivers' championship for the last three races.

- Sandip Sikdar

NEW DELHI:

Four wins and two more podiums in seven races have helped the Australian outscore the two championship contenders of last season—Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, both of whom trail the 24-year-old from Melbourne.

Though Verstappen got the better of Piastri with a stupendous move at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last Sunday, it had been the other way around in the previous races. And when it comes to the Piastri-Norris battle, the youngster has simply been better in race craft and pace to win four races to the Briton's lone win at the season opener in Australia.

"Oscar has been very impressive in the way he has bounced back," former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard said over a call from Monaco, which will host the next Grand Prix this Sunday.