Bernie Ecclestone bets on Oscar Piastri to win the title.

      After the first 14 rounds of the season Oscar Piastri continues to lead the championship, although his advantage over Lando Norris, his McLaren teammate, is very small — just 9 points.

      So the picture could change somewhat after the Dutch Grand Prix — one can recall that it was in Zandvoort last year that Norris scored a very convincing victory, finishing almost 23 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen.

      Now the stakes are even higher, the title is on the line, and there is no doubt that Lando will do everything to repeat that success, yet Bernie Ecclestone is convinced that Piastri will win the title this year.

      "After just three races I backed the Australian! He is going his own way, does everything his own way, and he has a psychological advantage over Norris," the Swiss tabloid Blick cites the opinion of the former head of Formula 1 management.

      Moreover, as early as last autumn Ecclestone said that Piastri has all the qualities of a champion. In addition, he also has a clear favourite among the championship's rookies, and that is Gabriel Bortoleto:

      "The good results Bortoleto is showing while driving for a mid-level team like Sauber should wake Ferrari up. This Brazilian should help the Italian team decide who will be its next driver."

      His words once again indicate that the 94-year-old Bernie Ecclestone does not have much faith in Lewis Hamilton's prospects at the Scuderia.