Piastri’s championship lead slips as Norris takes the advantage
Oscar Piastri’s championship advantage has dwindled dramatically, with the Australian driver surrendering a 34-point lead to now trail McLaren team-mate Lando Norris by a single point with just four races remaining in the season, reports BritPanorama.
The 24-year-old’s successful run at the Dutch Grand Prix in late August seemed to position him for his first Drivers’ Championship, having clinched his seventh victory and achieved seven wins from the opening 15 races.
However, Piastri’s fortunes have taken a downturn in the following five races. He has not secured a victory since the Zandvoort event and has failed to reach the podium in the last four races, allowing Norris to seize the championship lead after an impressive performance in Mexico City.
Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve commented on Piastri’s recent struggles, suggesting he has been at maximum capacity while Norris has accessed another level of performance. Villeneuve speculated whether Piastri’s early-season dominance reflected Norris’s initial challenges with the car.
Villeneuve elaborated on this dynamic, speculating that it may have led to complacency for Piastri. “When all you have to fight is your team-mate, maybe you don’t push to that last limit, that last tenth of a second,” he explained.
He stated that while “Lando is driving faster and better than he’s been all season,” Piastri’s earlier form may have reached its limit, highlighting a series of errors during pivotal races. His performance at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was particularly poor, featuring crashes in both qualifying and the race, compounded by a jump start infraction.
This unfortunate weekend grounded Piastri after a period of consistent high finishes following a challenging season opener. After struggling to ninth place at the start of the season, he had achieved top-four finishes in the next 15 races.
Piastri’s mistakes continued in Austin, where a misjudged overtaking strategy resulted in both McLaren cars being eliminated from the Sprint race. Since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he has recorded only fifth and fourth placements, enabling Norris and Max Verstappen to consistently outscore him.
Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle noted the psychological impact of the Baku race on Piastri’s performance. “Baku would have scattered his brain,” he assessed, indicating that the crash and jump-start mishap may have unsettled him.
Brundle observed a shift in Piastri’s demeanor, questioning if there were similar issues in his previous racing career. “Something’s happened in Oscar’s head,” he noted, remarking on the loss of his usual composure during races.
Villeneuve highlighted the difficulties drivers face when attempting to exceed their limits. “When you drive within the limit, the car is perfect. It’s easy, you drive, you save your tires. And suddenly, you have to go a couple of tenths faster. You can’t drive the car anymore. Everything is wrong,” he detailed.
Brundle refuted claims of team bias in favour of Norris, asserting that McLaren is committed to both drivers’ performance. “Rest assured, a team doesn’t spend $400m a year and have 1,500 employees and try to make one of their cars go a little bit more slowly,” he stated.
Piastri’s decline serves as a reminder of the intense pressures drivers face in Formula 1, where the margins between winning and losing are often razor-thin, driving even the most skilled competitors to their limits.
