Former Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button has weighed in following Oscar Piastri‘s recent struggles as the leader of the World Championship.
Following the United States Grand Prix, Button offered advice to Piastri as the latter laboured home in fifth, his third successive race without a podium.
The 45-year-old was keen to point out several similarities between what he experienced in his 2009 title-winning season and the Australian’s championship pursuit.
Since the summer break, Piastri has managed to score a mere 44 points, enabling team-mate Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to reduce the margin.
Button acknowledged what he described as a “tricky situation” Piastri finds himself in with his own form nosediving as Red Bull has appeared to usurp McLaren.
“Yeah, it’s a very tricky situation that he finds himself in,” Button told Sky Sports F1.
“The car isn’t performing as he would have hoped, and as it was at the start of the year. It was so strong, they were unbeatable.
“Now, you’re slightly on the back foot with the car, and personally, you’re thinking about the World Championship.
“So, you’re thinking about not losing points in certain races, not making mistakes, and that’s sometimes when mistakes happen.”
How Piastri’s title bid compares to Button’s 2009 win
The former McLaren driver echoed that this campaign from Piastri is comparable to his own winning year with Brawn in 2009.
Similar to Button, Piastri’s 2025 season began strongly, with the team seemingly untouchable by its rivals, but that advantage faded, placing his title win in doubt.
Reflecting on his own experience under immense pressure, Button conceded he learned the hard way how mentally demanding a championship fight can become.
“I will say, I’m the first person who made too many mistakes when I was fighting for my World Championship in the end,” Button recalled.
“I put myself under too much pressure, and I didn’t handle that very well. But hopefully Oscar has learnt from other people’s failures.”
Button highlighted Mark Webber as crucial for Piastri’s final few rounds.
The fellow Australian and former Red Bull driver is well-versed in enduring intra-team battles, and his mentorship will be essential in navigating this ever-changing championship battle.
“He’s got Mark Webber looking after him, who’s been through difficult times and keeping him positive in this scenario,” he continued.
With Piastri’s team-mate also performing strongly, plus the infamous “papaya rules”, fans have raised questions about whether the team should begin favouring a driver.
After all, Verstappen has gained significant momentum, which could harm McLaren’s title hopes. Despite these fears, Button has dismissed the notion for the time being.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. We are still so incredibly tight and we’ve both said we wanted an opportunity to try and fight for the championship because we deserve it,” Button said.
“So I think it’s far too close to start picking one over the other.”
READ MORE – McLaren highlights the Oscar Piastri weakness that blighted his F1 US GP weekend
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