Oscar Piastri has denied intentionally reposting a social media post claiming that McLaren is favouring team-mate Lando Norris in the Formula 1 title fight.
Piastri’s tricky last couple of months got even trickier overnight during the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend.
At one point in time, this season, Piastri held a 34-point lead over Norris. But his winless streak since the race at Zandvoort has seen him slip out of the championship lead.
Rounding off suggestions that McLaren were deliberately favouring Norris’ title bid over Piastri, Max Verstappen had labelled Piastri’s sudden slum in form as “bizarre”.
Trailing Norris by 24 points coming into the weekend, Piastri seemingly fed into the rumours of the Woking-based team prioritising the Briton over him.
The Australian reposted Bernie Ecclestone’s quotes about McLaren siding with Norris owing to his undeniable “star quality”.
“McLaren prefers the English driver. He has more star quality and marketing appeal for them, has more camera presence and publicity. That’s probably why he’s better for McLaren,” Ecclestone had claimed.
Following qualifying on the iconic Vegas strip, Piastri was quizzed about his social media activity.
“I don’t know. I woke up this morning and saw it. So, I don’t know,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
He firmly denied any intention to cause furore within the paddock. “Maybe I accidentally did it. Obviously, it was not intentional,” he asserted.
“But yeah, I didn’t know what had happened. So, I don’t know.”
Piastri optimistic about F1 Las Vegas GP podium recovery
Piastri’s grip on the Drivers’ title fight has been dismantled by Norris over the course of the last few race weekends.
In Mexico, Norris took the championship lead from Piastri for the first time since Saudi Arabia in April.
Heading into the final three races, Norris holds a comfortable lead over Piastri and Max Verstappen.
With a weather-hit qualifying session, the Australian would have hoped to make a decisive dent in Norris’ lead.
However, as Norris squared off a third consecutive pole position, the 24-year-old could only muster the fifth-fastest lap of Q3.
Speaking about the session, Piastri ruminated about how Charles Leclerc’s late-session spin and consequent yellow flag impeded his charge for pole position.
“I felt very good. Q2, a few little wobbles. But Q3, I felt good again, and I felt like things were coming to us pretty nicely,” he explained.
“But, yeah, unfortunately, not much you can do with a yellow flag on your lap.
“So, frustrating, obviously, but I think the car and myself were quick. So, we’ve got some pace for tomorrow, which is nice to know.”
Despite a third-row start, the inherent pace in the MCL39 gives Piastri the confidence to make moves in the Grand Prix on Sunday and quell the distance between himself and Norris.
“I think, yes,” he said when asked whether he could mount a charge for a podium finish on Sunday.
“It’s difficult to know exactly where anyone sits because of the kind of lack of proper race running this weekend.
“But I think the car’s been pretty quick in all conditions. It was quick in the rain then. It was quick in the dry yesterday. Didn’t get many opportunities to use it.
“So, I think we’ve got a good pace and hopefully we can use that to get forwards tomorrow.”
READ MORE – Lando Norris claims pole position in rain-hit qualifying for F1 Las Vegas GP
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