Franz Tost, a seasoned former Formula 1 team manager and boss, has predicted that McLaren's Oscar Piastri will maintain his newly acquired championship lead to claim the 2025 drivers' title.
In an interview with Germany's Sport1, Tost, who retired as Racing Bulls boss in 2023 after a career that began supporting Ralf Schumacher at Williams decades ago, was asked to select his ideal drivers for a hypothetical F1 team.
"I would always choose Max (Verstappen)," he said. "But of the others, Oscar Piastri."
Now in his third F1 season, the composed 24-year-old Australian seized the championship lead from McLaren teammate Lando Norris at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, despite many believing Norris retains a slight edge in raw pace, tempered by perceived mental fragility.
On whether Verstappen can overhaul both McLaren drivers to secure a fifth consecutive title, Tost noted, "Red Bull is bringing out a major update in Imola to significantly improve the car. Let's hope it works for them."
Should Red Bull's upgrade falter, McLaren faces the delicate challenge of managing a Piastri-Norris duel for the championship crown.
"Fundamentally, McLaren has a luxury problem," said Tost, 69. "They have the best car, two very good drivers, and their sole goal is to win the constructors' championship. Therefore, they will pit the two drivers against each other up to a certain point. And I think Piastri will prevail," the Austrian asserted.
"He has tremendous basic speed, just like Norris, but is mentally much stronger than Norris. Therefore, Piastri has a huge chance of winning the championship this year."
Tost also highlighted another compelling teammate rivalry in 2025: Ferrari's newcomer Lewis Hamilton, 40, versus the established Charles Leclerc, 27.
"He needs to become more consistent," Tost said of Leclerc.
"Another thing is certain—if he wants to win races and the world championship, he has to beat Hamilton. Because, without disparaging Hamilton, Leclerc knows the team, and the age difference is also to his advantage. If Hamilton wins the duel, Leclerc will have lost some of his prestige. The same applies to Norris if he loses to Piastri at McLaren."
Hamilton is grappling with adapting to Ferrari after his long tenure at Mercedes, but Tost believes the pressure lies primarily with Leclerc. When asked if Hamilton can afford to lose to his teammate, Tost replied, "You can never lose! But there's the very important age difference. That's why Leclerc has to win."
