Oscar Piastri has declared he doesn’t “expect anything to change” in the dynamic of the Formula 1 title race, despite his increased lead over team-mate Lando Norris.
Piastri heads into this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix with a 34-point lead over his McLaren stablemate, having won last time out in the Netherlands while Norris retired.
The Australian has maintained top spot in the championship since round five, but Norris had trimmed his gap to nine points in the races preceding the summer break.
However, Norris dropping out with a technical problem with seven laps to go at Zandvoort has stacked the odds heavily in Piastri’s favour with nine rounds remaining.
But despite the added breathing room, Piastri won’t become complacent as he denied that he could be tempted to adopt a more aggressive approach wheel-to-wheel.
“I don’t think much will change. He’s certainly not out of the fight,” Piastri told media including Motorsport Week.
“Yes, it’s a bit more difficult now, but I don’t expect much to change. I think we’ll race each other the same way. I think the amount of risk-taking will be the same.
“We’re both trying to drive as fast as we can and it’s not like we’ve been holding anything back from that side of things, so I don’t expect anything to change.”
Piastri not leaning on Webber’s experience in F1 title battle
Piastri’s manager, Mark Webber, encountered a similar situation to the McLaren duo in 2010 when he lost out on the title to then Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel.
But when asked whether he had been leaning on his compatriot’s experience to assist him in his personal duel with Norris, Piastri admitted he had opted not to do so.
“Virtually none, I would say,” he replied. “I think for me, a lot of it is from, in some ways, personal experiences in championships, but also just how I think as a person.
“For me, it’s just how I’ve always tried to go racing. Trying to be taking the opportunities when they come and obviously not taking too many risks and the risk attitude.
“Five races ago, you didn’t know the championship picture was going to look like this.
“And if you took a different amount of risk either way, then the gap is going to be potentially smaller than what it is.
“It could potentially be bigger, but I like to think that my approach to risk is pretty measured.
“For me, that doesn’t really change regardless of the championship situation.”
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