Cutting an almost unflappable persona in his bid for a maiden Formula 1 title, Oscar Piastri has looked far from his metronomic, consistent self from earlier in the season.
Following his disastrous weekend on the streets of Baku, Piastri has been unable to dust himself off and return to the form that sees him leading the World Championship.
The Australian cut a frustrated individual in Singapore, when he believed that an opening-lap clash with team-mate Lando Norris had contravened McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’.
Finishing a rather lonely fourth in Marina Bay, a return to the Americas did not deliver a return to the rostrum in Texas, marking his third consecutive race without a podium.
A reckless switchback attempt on Norris at the start of the Sprint ended up with both McLarens out on the spot for a first double DNF in almost three years.
Combined with a rather lacklustre run in the Grand Prix, his once comfortable lead is now looking more shaky as both Norris and the ominous Max Verstappen close in.
But is Piastri’s drop in form a reflection of pressure as the reality of a first F1Drivers’ title dawns on him, or just part of the ebbs and flows of the World Championship?
Is Piastri starting to crack?
Before these last three races, Piastri had only missed out on the podium on two occasions: home race disappointment in Melbourne and a fourth-place finish in Canada.
But the consistent results upon which his title challenge had been built have dwindled with this return downturn, culminating in his role as favourite coming into question.
Had results been poor due to bad luck or external circumstances, perhaps Piastri would not be being scrutinised so much, but it is the nature of his recent form collapse.
Alongside the incident in the Sprint in the United States and his tempestuous outburst in Singapore, Piastri had a nightmare weekend in Baku, crashing out on the first lap.
Despite this, Piastri himself has been unfazed by his recent slump, vowing that he remains the title favourite over both his team-mate Norris and a resurgent Verstappen.
“I’d still rather be where I am than the other two,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
He also reiterated that his previous pedigree in such situations – which includes back-to-back championships in Formula 3 and 2 – leaves him well-prepped for the run-in.
“I’ve been in fights that were as close or at this point even closer than what they are now,” he explained.
“So I’ve got the evidence for myself that things can still turn out well, and I still fully believe that I can win the championship.”
Has McLaren been blindsided by Piastri’s stumble?
McLaren boss Andrea Stella has backed Piastri to rediscover his level in the coming races, citing that his struggles at COTA exposed a weakness on low-grip tracks.
“I think we know with Oscar that when the conditions are such that we have low grip, you really need to challenge the car, lean on the understeer, oversteer,
locking, this is an area of his driving that has an opportunity to improve,” Stella told media including Motorsport Week.
But while the team’s stance mirrors the driver’s, Piastri’s dip has placed McLaren in an awkward position with Verstappen now seen as a genuine threat to the title.
The Dutchman has capitalised on enhancements to his Red Bull and McLaren’s decline to gain 64 points on Piastri since Zandvoort, reducing the gap to 40 points.
Meanwhile, Norris has also been outscoring Piastri since he retired in the Netherlands, turning what was a 33-point advantage into 14 points with five races to run.
That has meant that Piastri can’t be reliant on the team to prioritise his bid. In fact, McLaren has ruled that out, unless one driver is not in mathematical contention.
While it seems unlikely that Piastri will continue to struggle as he has, another low-grip circuit in Mexico, a track where Verstappen has dominated in the past, may not be the venue the championship leader needs to regain the form that has long held him as the title favourite.
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