Oscar Piastri does not expect McLaren to hold the same dominance they did in Miami, predicting a much closer fight at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend.

Piastri leads the way in the drivers' standings, having made an outstanding start to the Formula One season, winning four of the six races so far.

He has won each of the last three in a row and earned a one-two with team-mate Lando Norris last time out in Miami, but finished 37 seconds ahead of third-placed Max Verstappen.

That was McLaren's second double of 2025 already, having also claimed first and second in China, with Piastri finishing ahead of Norris on both occasions.

They now have the opportunity to have three one-twos in a single year in F1 for the first time since 2010 (three).

"I think with the hotter temperatures there [in Miami], given some of the sessions we'd had earlier in the season, we thought that might play more to our strengths – and I think the Sunday did prove that," said Piastri.

"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.

"I expect the competition to be closer than it was in Miami. We saw in qualifying that the competition was on our heels and ahead of us [with Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen taking the pole positions].

"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."

Piastri holds a 16-point advantage at the top of the drivers' standings over Norris, with his performances so far also lending to a 105-point lead for McLaren in the constructors' championship.

"It's pretty hard to say that I'm not [enjoying the season] when you've won four out of six. It's been a great start to the year, obviously," he added.

"I've been enjoying the success we're having on track, but I think for me, what's been very satisfying is all the work we've done behind the scenes to achieve that.

"It's quite a different feeling when you win a race because you feel like you've just got by, or you had good circumstances, but to now be winning because we have an incredibly quick car, and I feel like I'm driving well. That's very satisfying for me."

DRIVERS TO WATCH

Oscar Piastri – McLaren

Piastri has won each of the last three F1 races. The Australian now has the chance to become the 16th different driver to win four races in a row as he bids to extend his lead.

He has won six F1 races, including four in the first six events of 2025.

In fact, if he wins one more, it will be the 50th win for Australian drivers in the competition, making the Oceanic country the seventh to reach that tally in F1 history.

Piastri has finished each of the last 34 Grand Prix races he has appeared in. He now has the opportunity to achieve the third-longest solo run in history by surpassing Daniel Ricciardo's 34, between Styria 2020 and Mexico City 2021.

Congratulazioni, @OscarPiastri

Oscar was presented with the prestigious Lorenzo Bandini Trophy on Wednesday #McLaren pic.twitter.com/2FtMsMsg8q

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 15, 2025

Max Verstappen – Red Bull

Verstappen looked to have found some of his old spark in Miami when he took pole, only to fall short in the race, finishing just off the podium in fourth.

However, he has a good record at Imola, winning each of the last three races there. The Dutchman has the chance to become the first driver in F1 history to win in four consecutive editions at the Italian track, something he has only achieved in Abu Dhabi (2020 to 2023) and Japan (2022 to 2025).

The poleman has won at Imola in 11 of the 31 races (35.5%), with Verstappen having the chance to be the second driver in history to take three consecutive poles at the Italian track after Ayrton Senna (seven in a row between 1985 and 1991).

And only Michael Schumacher (102) has earned more points than Verstappen (87) at Imola, a record he could equal with a win on Sunday.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers'

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 131

2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 115

3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 99

4. George Russell (Mercedes) - 93

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 53

Constructors'

1. McLaren - 246

2. Mercedes - 141

3. Red Bull - 105

4. Ferrari - 94

5. Williams - 37