
Oscar Piastri Joins Hamilton and Verstappen In Major Achievement
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
McLaren star Oscar Piastri achieved a feat previously accomplished only by Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
Piastri won the Belgian Grand Prix after making an amazing overtake on the opening lap to get ahead, and he didn't look back once he got into clean air.
He grew his lead in the Drivers' Championship once again, leading his teammate Lando Norris with only one race left until the summer break.
The Aussie is having a spectacular season and is potentially on the verge of winning a title.
Sprint race winner Ferrari's British driver Lewis Hamilton (C) poses with second placed McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri (L) and third placed Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen (R) following the sprint race of...
Sprint race winner Ferrari's British driver Lewis Hamilton (C) poses with second placed McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri (L) and third placed Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen (R) following the sprint race of the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai on March 22, 2025 More
Photo byAdditionally, with his points at Spa, Piastri managed to reach 31 Grand Prixs in a row with points scored, dating back to last season.
Only Hamilton and Verstappen have scored points in more than 30 races, according to Sundaram R, known as @f1statsguru on X.
The British seven-time champion achieved a streak of 48 from 2018 to 2020 and 33 from 2016 to 2018.
On the other hand, Verstappen went 43 straight races from 2022 to 2024 and 31 races from 2024 to 2025.
Only THREE drivers in F1 history have scored points in 30+ consecutive Grands Prix:
1. Lewis Hamilton - 48 (2018-2020) & 33 (2016-2018)
2. Max Verstappen - 43 (2022-2024) & 31 (2024-2025)
3. Oscar Piastri - 31 (2024-2025)
No one else is even close to joining them currently.
The… pic.twitter.com/zxtVyL14yK — Sundaram R (@f1statsguru) July 28, 2025
While all three drivers had the fastest car for most of these periods, it took a high skill level to make a difference among other top racers.
Piastri has made significant strides as a driver. He improved his ability to protect his tires while becoming more decisive in his decision-making.
Hamilton and Verstappen both possess similar traits, and these abilities might make the difference in a tight title race.
Jolyon Palmer, in a story for F1.com from June, noted the progress Piastri made and his development into a title contender.
"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."
"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's not been perfect this season. 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."
For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
17 minutes ago
- USA Today
Yuneisy Duben withdraws from UFC Fight Night 258 in Paris
Kennedy Freeman needs a new opponent for her UFC debut. Yuneisy Duben has withdrawn from UFC Fight Night 258 for undisclosed reasons. The three-round flyweight bout was scheduled for Sept. 2 at Accor Arena. Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. When she competes again, Duben (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will look to rebound from a head kick loss in her UFC debut vs. Carli Judice in March. Freeman (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is expected to remain on the card. It's just not yet known vs. who. She is the daughter of the first British fighter in UFC history, Ian Freeman, and is a former Cage Warriors champion. With the change, the UFC Fight Night 258 lineup includes:


Newsweek
18 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Lewis Hamilton Reaches New Low After Hungarian GP
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton reached a new low at the Hungarian Grand Prix, getting lapped during a grand prix for the first time since 2022. The last time Hamilton was lapped during a race was in Imola. New regulations took over in 2022, and Mercedes was caught off guard in terms of development. The car went from the fastest to the midfield as the team couldn't adjust to the ground effect regulations. The 2022 season was painful for Mercedes, and one of the lowest points was the Imola race, when Max Verstappen lapped Hamilton. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari is interviewed during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 01, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari is interviewed during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 01, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. Photo byAt the race in Hungary this season, Hamilton was lapped for the first time since Imola, this time at the hands of McLaren driver Lando Norris, who ended up winning the race. This is shocking considering how dominant Hamilton has been for years - he was typically the one lapping other cars, but the tables have turned on the champion. The frustration over his struggles is beginning to boil over. During the race weekend, Hamilton was downbeat and lacked optimism regarding his issues. He even suggested that Ferrari should replace him and alluded to issues in the background hindering his performance. Team principal Fred Vasseur, however, still believes Hamilton is motivated and focused. "I don't need to motivate him, honestly," Vasseur said after the race. "He's frustrated but not demotivated; it's a completely different story. "Again, I can perfectly understand the situation, and you can, sometimes you are making comments on what the driver is saying to the car, but if you put the microphone on some other sportsman in football and so on, I'm not sure that it would be much better. "Sometimes they are making [rash] comments, even when they jump out of the car. "I can understand the frustration, but we are all frustrated, and sometimes, if you ask me, I can't say this, I will go to the stewards. "But sometimes just after the race, or just after the Quali, you are very disappointed and the reaction, the first reaction is harsh, but we all know that we are pushing in the same direction." Hamilton and Ferrari have the opportunity to reset during the summer break and get their bearings as the final run of the season will come quickly and fast. For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.


Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Charles Leclerc Apologizes For Fiery Ferrari Radio Rants In Hungarian GP
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc failed to capitalize on a shocking pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Through his career, the Hungaroring has not been Leclerc's best track - he tends to have issues with extracting pace, a rarity for the Monegasque. Against the long odds, he delivered an amazing lap in Q3 and looked certain to get a podium at the very least. Instead, Leclerc ended up losing performance due to an issue with the car's chassis, leaving him ripe for the picking on track. Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari speaks of frustration in the media pen during the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari speaks of frustration in the media pen during the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. Photo byAfter an impressive first stint where he kept his lead, Leclerc was down massively on pace in the second half of the race. When he pitted for the first time, Ferrari had to adjust the car because the plank on the bottom of the car was too worn out. The team raised the air pressure of the tires, raising the ride height. This change ended up leading to a loss of pace. During the race, Leclerc was furious with the team over the radio. "I can feel what we discussed before the race... we need to discuss those things before doing them," he said on the radio. "We are going to lose this race with these things. We are losing so much time." After making his second pit stop, the problems only grew. "This is so incredibly frustrating," Leclerc added later on. "We've lost all competitiveness. You just have to listen to me, I would have found a different way of managing those issues. Now it's just undriveble. Undriveable. It's a miracle if we finish on the podium." The Formula 1 veteran apologized for his intense radio rants when speaking to the media after the race. "First of all, I need to take back the words I've said in the radio because I thought that it was coming from one thing, but then I got a lot more detail since I got out of the car," Leclerc said. "It was actually an issue coming from the chassis and nothing that we could have done differently. I started to feel the issue in Lap 40 or something like that, and then it got worse, laps after laps after laps, and towards the end we were two seconds off the pace. And the car was just undriveable." Considering how well he is driving this season, his disappointment feels understandable, considering how hard he works to extract the best possible result every race weekend. McLaren is the dominant car, and Leclerc feels like he has to take advantage anytime the championship-leading team is on the back foot. His first stint's pace was good enough for a race win if he kept it up, but the Ferrari star was robbed of the chance to do so by factors out of his control. For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.