Ecclestone: Piastri is the best after Verstappen

Ecclestone has always maintained the former F1 driver and four-time Champion Alain Prost was the best out there, a choice that may be a bit strange to many in the presence of names such as Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher—looking into the older generation, that is.

Ecclestone said: "Before, I said Alain [Prost]. Now, I would say Max. He is the best. He is the most brilliant at getting the most out of the car. He doesn’t mess around."

But the 94-year-old Briton recently heaped praise on Piastri, whom he described as "the young man who reminds me a lot of Alain" as the young Australian broke onto the scene of the sport in McLaren in 2023 and hit the ground running, challenging his more experienced teammate Lando Norris, and is now fighting for his maiden F1 Title in 2025.

Going further, Ecclestone told Sport.de: "Oscar is doing the job. When he makes mistakes, he admits it and doesn’t blame others or make excuses.

"He just makes sure he doesn’t repeat them. We’ve never seen him make the same mistake twice. He is the best driver after Max Verstappen," he claimed.

With six races remaining in the 2025 F1 season, McLaren have already wrapped up the Constructors' Title, and what is now left is to see which of their drivers wins his maiden Drivers' Title, as Piastri leads Norris by 22 points.

Ecclestone credited McLaren for the job they have done, creating a winning car for their drivers; he said: "They were lucky because they were in the right team at the right time.

"Because there were certainly drivers who were better than today’s drivers but who never had the opportunity to show their talents to anyone.

"Zak Brown is doing a great job with McLaren," Ecclestone went on, pointing at the American's role in McLaren's resurgence.

"I said to him recently, because I’ve known him for a long time, ‘I don’t think you’re very talented, but one of your talents is knowing how to choose the right people to work with you,'" he concluded.