Oscar Piastri predicts a tough F1 2025 Emilia Romagna GP for McLaren as he warns Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes could be in the mix for pole again, calling for the team to bring their A-Game.
The Australian is the championship leader and is on a fine run of form that has seen him claim three wins in a row to catapult ahead of Lando Norris, his teammate, in the standings as he and his team enjoy a dominant car.
However, qualifying is one area they come under threat with slim margins throughout all six Formula 1 weekends so far as Verstappen has managed to secure two poles, converting one into a win in Japan.
So with the F1 2025 Emilia Romagna GP held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, a place difficult to overtake, Red Bull could be a problem for McLaren to contend with again as Piastri predicts a tough weekend could be on the cards.
“We’ve got very soft tyres this weekend, so maybe that will help us,” Piastri told media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “But it’s obviously a lot cooler than it was in Miami.
“The track is also incredibly different, much bumpier, much higher speed in general. I expect the competition to be closer than it was in Miami.
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“We saw in qualifying that the competition was on our heels and ahead of us. We still have to make sure we go out and execute everything as well as we can.
“Because if we falter a little bit, we’ve got plenty of competition that can beat us.”
Why were McLaren so quick in Miami? Piastri predicts why Emilia Romagna GP won’t be a repeat
However, if McLaren can bring the same race pace they enjoyed at the Miami International Autodrome on May 4, they will simply blow the opposition away after winning by nearly 40 seconds.
That was despite Verstappen starting on pole and only surrendering the lead on Lap 13, meaning McLaren pulled away at almost a second per lap until the chequered flag on Lap 57.
Yet the 23-year-old doesn’t believe they will enjoy such an advantage, pointing to very specific conditions as the reason for their joy in the USA that he expects won’t be in play in Imola.
“I think with the hotter temperatures there, given some of the sessions we’d had earlier in the season, we thought that might play more to our strengths,” Piastri added. “And I think Sunday did prove that.
“I’m not expecting that to be the case every weekend… I would love that to be the case every weekend.
“But I think [given] those hotter conditions, and that circuit characteristic, I think it will be difficult for us to repeat that result consistently.”
