Jolyon Palmer saw Oscar Piastri struggle to copy Max Verstappen’s driving style in Bahrain F1 test

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Max Verstappen has proved yet again that he is in a league of his own on the F1 grid, with Oscar Piastri becoming the latest driver to unsuccessfully try to replicate the Dutchman’s driving style.

Despite Max Verstappen’s dissatisfaction with the new F1 regulations, the four-time world champion has continued to try to eke out an advantage over the rest of his rivals on the grid.

With two weeks of pre-season testing taking place at the Sakhir International Circuit, drivers have had to grapple with the infamous turn ten to collect valuable data for their respective F1 teams.

One of the most unique corners on the calendar, it forces drivers to brake as they travel down a slope, with any minor inputs producing a lock-up that could jeopardise their flying lap.

Verstappen has been able to master the corner during the countless laps of the circuit that he has undertaken, but it’s proving to be more difficult for his rivals.

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Jolyon Palmer highlights moment where Oscar Piastri struggled to replicate Max Verstappen’s driving style in F1 test

During Sky Sports F1’s coverage of the second day of testing in Bahrain, Jolyon Palmer drew attention to the difference in driving style that Oscar Piastri and Verstappen were utilising at turn ten as they continued to get to grips with their new F1 car.

He said (19/02 15:24), “Max is coming in and using all the kerb, which Oscar is not doing. Max is then punching it in, getting down the gears. The Red Bull has got a really good front end, it’s quite sharp.

“And then he’s rotating it slowly at the apex, but really delivering the power in a straight line. And that’s allowing him to punch out using those gears. To me, here we’ve got a difference in style.

“Oscar’s running the speed in, carrying that apex speed in the classic U-shape. He’s running a little bit more, carrying apex speed, but it’s making his exit a little bit harder.

“And the other thing is, I said I was expecting more lock-ups at turn ten. We had that big Oscar lock-up that I’m sure you’ve seen as well, trying to carry the speed.

“The other thing he tried to do was try Max’s extra downshift. So I think we’re talking first gear at turn 10, and it didn’t sound nice with the McLaren. It made the drivability really difficult, and he struggled to get the exit, which Max is able to do.”

The extra downshift is understood to keep revs high within the engine, a crucial component in this year’s new ruleset due to the added reliability on utilising the power unit’s turbo to get some good torque in low-speed corners.

Ferrari also attempted the first gear trick on the first day of F1’s second Bahrain test, to no avail. The SF-26 was reported to have reacted badly to the premature downshift, indicating that the Red Bull engine is superior in this aspect.

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Oscar Piastri’s driving style has been called into question amid the new F1 ruleset

This isn’t the first time that the Australian’s driving style has been noted during the early stages of F1’s new era.

Piastri’s failure to adapt to low-grip circuits such as Austin and Mexico City has been highlighted as a valid reason why the 24-year-old will struggle with the 2026 cars.

Now heading into his fourth full season as an F1 driver, the McLaren star will need to show more signs of improvement if he is to improve on his third-place finish in the standings from last year.

Ralf Schumacher also pinpointed Piastri’s driving style as the main reason why he will succumb to Lando Norris’ talents again this season.

The German driver has predicted Norris to triumph over his counterpart again this season, as he looks to defend his maiden world title.