Formula 1 veteran Martin Brundle has identified the exact moment when Oscar Piastri’s title campaign began to unravel, marking a dramatic turn in what once looked like a dream season for the young Australian. After leading the world championship earlier this year, Piastri’s performance has crumbled under pressure — and Brundle believes the psychological blow came in Azerbaijan, where the McLaren driver’s double crash and jump-start “scattered his brain” and disrupted his rhythm entirely.
Once celebrated for his calm composure, Piastri now appears unsettled, struggling to regain the poise that once defined his rookie success. Brundle noted that a single lapse of confidence can be catastrophic in modern F1, where margins are microscopic and self-belief fuels every lap. “Something snapped mentally,” he said, emphasizing that while Piastri had previously been unflappable, his recent string of errors suggests a deeper internal battle.
From holding a 31-point lead over Lando Norris, Piastri’s fortune has reversed sharply — with his teammate now leading the standings after a stunning win in Mexico. In the last four races, Norris has doubled Piastri’s points tally, building momentum with podium finishes while the Australian faltered with inconsistent results. The swing in performance has ignited online conspiracies accusing McLaren of favoring Norris, but Brundle swiftly dismissed such talk as nonsense, calling it “a waste of breath.”
According to the former F1 driver, McLaren’s sole obsession is victory, not favoritism. “No team spends hundreds of millions just to slow one of their cars down,” Brundle declared. He insisted that the Woking-based squad would be meticulously analyzing Piastri’s car to rule out any performance discrepancies, reiterating that both drivers have equal opportunity — but only one seems mentally primed to capitalize.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen looms ominously behind the McLaren pair, just 36 points adrift and armed with momentum after multiple podiums. His resurgence adds a new layer of pressure for both Norris and Piastri as the championship enters its final stretch. As Jacques Villeneuve warned, “They had it easy until now — but with Max in the mix, the real test begins.” For Piastri, Brazil could be more than just another race weekend — it may be his last chance to prove he still has the head for a world title fight.
