Former Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert has said he does not “feel sympathy” for Oscar Piastri for losing his sizeable World Championship lead in 2025.
The Australian dominated large parts of the season, and after taking victory in Zandvoort, the McLaren driver held a 34-point lead over team-mate Lando Norris.
But Piastri’s form dipped in the final third of the campaign, losing ground to Norris and Max Verstappen, who was 104 points adrift after his Dutch triumph.
Ultimately, Piastri finished third in the standings, with Norris claiming his first title by just two points from the Red Bull driver.
Amid the loss of momentum, many speculated that McLaren ought to throw its weight behind Piastri prior to the peak of Norris’ rejuvenation, despite its principles of treating both equally.
But Herbert believes that whilst his overall season was impressive, there is perhaps a misconception around Piastri’s supposed calmness under pressure.
“I don’t feel sympathy for Oscar, because he achieved a great season, finishing as he did,” he said.
“It was a strong end to the season as well, he had that massively strong start and everything seemed to be in his favour.
“But for some reason, he let it fall through his fingers. The quality that we had seen evaporated. It was going so well at that point.
“A lot of people always talk about his mental strength. But actually, I think it’s the mental strength that probably needs to be strengthened.
“He missed a slam dunk. He has to get stronger. In the situation he was in, it should have been a done deal.
“Max would not allow that to have happened. Nor did Lando at the end of the day. He grew and took on the mantle of being the team number 1.”
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