Oscar Piastri has denied that he has considered using his current advantage over team-mate Lando Norris to request that McLaren prioritise his title bid in Formula 1.
Piastri goes into the Austrian Grand Prix boasting a 22-point gap to Norris, having claimed five victories to his McLaren stablemate’s two across the opening 10 races.
With Max Verstappen trailing 43 points down on Piastri’s haul, McLaren appears well placed to add the Drivers’ Championship to the Constructors’ title it won in 2024.
The Woking-based squad hasn’t attained the two ultimate prizes in the same season since 1998, despite having tasted championship success three times since then.
But while McLaren is striving to end that drought this time around, Piastri has dismissed that he is in a position where he can ask the team to support him over Norris.
Put him to that he has a healthy lead in the standings, Piastri quipped to media including Motorsport Week: “Your version of healthy is much bigger than mine!
“I think, for me, I just want – and we all want – a fair opportunity trying to win both championships.
“Especially in the Drivers’ Championship, because ultimately, it can only be one of us.
“I think the situation has to change dramatically to start having those conversations, and they’re a very long way away at the moment.
“So at the moment, all I can ask for is a fair chance to try and win the championship, and that’s what I want as well. No, I’m not willing to enter those talks at all.”
Piastri denies he has psychological edge over Norris
Nonetheless, Piastri’s position in the championship battle was strengthened last time out at the Canadian Grand Prix as a clash between them caused Norris to retire.
However, the Australian has quashed the notion that his team-mate’s miscalculation in the closing stages at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has given him a mental edge.
“I don’t think it will change anything,” he explained. “For me, I certainly won’t do anything different, I won’t behave any differently.
“If Lando’s going to do anything different, that’s for him to answer, but I don’t expect anything to change.
“We’ve still got a long season ahead of us. I think it’s going to be a tight battle for the rest of the year.”
Instead, Piastri has insisted that his attention is on ensuring that he maximises his own individual prospects each weekend rather than being obsessed with his rivals.
“I mean, obviously I’m enjoying the position I’m in at the moment,” he expressed. “It’s a position I’ve been in before in my junior career.
“I look at it quite simply: it normally means you’re doing something right if you’re leading a championship.
“That’s not to say there aren’t things I can improve on – Canada was a scrappy weekend.
“There have been a couple this year that have not been as good as I wanted, but there have also been a lot that have looked as good as I wanted.
“Just trying to make every weekend look like that – that’s the most important thing. What’s happening with anyone else on the grid, I’m not really concerned by.
“Ultimately, to try and win the championship, I need to put my best foot forward. If I do that, then I know it’s enough to win. That’s what I’m focused on and trying to do every weekend.”
READ MORE – Oscar Piastri: No ‘big decisions’ taken at McLaren after Canada F1 clash
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