Piastri’s Championship Lead Slips After Challenging Mexico City Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri’s grip on the Formula 1 championship has disintegrated after a challenging Mexico City Grand Prix saw him drop behind McLaren team-mate Lando Norris for the first time since April, reports BritPanorama.
The Australian driver finished fifth after starting from seventh on the grid, while Norris dominated the race, crossing the finish line an impressive 32 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in second place.
This result means Piastri now trails Norris by a single point, with just four races remaining in the season. Despite a late-race surge that included a daring overtaking manoeuvre on George Russell, it was not enough for Piastri to regain the lead after Norris secured his sixth victory of the season.
The race proved frustrating for Piastri, who struggled with traffic throughout. “I felt like the whole race I was right behind someone and struggling with the dirty air,” he told Sky Sports F1 after the event. His efforts to recover from seventh place showcased some speed during the second stint, aided by McLaren’s strategic decision to make an extra pit stop. He displayed skill in overtaking Esteban Ocon of Haas through multiple corners, but ultimately fell short of podium contention.
Reflecting on the race, Piastri acknowledged the challenges: “For me the biggest thing is trying to learn the things I wanted to learn today. Yesterday it became obvious after the session that there were a few things I needed to change pretty majorly in how I was driving.” Despite finishing fifth, he recognised the need for improvement, particularly in adapting to the evolving requirements of his car and tyres.
Piastri admitted to a difficult adjustment in his driving technique over the past couple of weekends: “I’ve tried to change it up a bit today, and once we analyse if it’s effective or not that will hopefully help see some progress.” While he didn’t downplay the setback, he remained focused on enhancing his performance for the remaining races.
The championship standings now see Norris holding a narrow one-point lead, while Max Verstappen, who finished on the podium in Mexico, trails 36 points behind in third place. With four races left, Piastri is well aware of the need to quickly master these new driving demands to reclaim his position at the top.
As the battle intensifies in the remaining rounds, the contrast between Piastri’s resurgence and Norris’s dominance underscores how swiftly fortunes can change in Formula 1, reminding fans how fiercely competitive the sport truly is.
