Oscar Piastri’s title charge has begun to wobble — and even he knows it. Following a humbling weekend in Mexico, the Australian conceded he’s had to “change how I drive” to keep up with teammate Lando Norris, who now leads the championship after a dominant 30-second victory. What began as a close McLaren rivalry has evolved into a mental and mechanical puzzle Piastri is still trying to solve.
Despite clawing his way to fifth place in Mexico, Piastri admitted his performance had lost its edge. Since the mid-season break, his once-razor-sharp pace has dulled; Norris has comfortably out-qualified him by over half a second. Piastri confessed that while the car hasn’t changed, his technique must. The adaptation, however, hasn’t come easy — dirty air, track conditions, and tyre behavior have each magnified the gap between McLaren’s rising stars.
Former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve called Piastri’s race “a salvage job,” praising his points haul but noting the psychological toll. Jamie Chadwick echoed that sentiment, saying Piastri “has lost the momentum and flow” that once defined his early-season charge. While Norris thrives under low-grip conditions, Piastri’s precision style seems unsettled by the same challenges — a technical mismatch now visible under race-day pressure.
McLaren has dismissed the conspiracy theories swirling online — no, they’re not favoring Norris. Team principal Andrea Stella insisted the data shows no mechanical discrepancy between the cars, only “a difference in adaptation.” He added that Norris’ ability to extract performance on worn tyres naturally fits the team’s current setup, while Piastri’s driving style excels on high-grip surfaces. The task ahead is one of calibration, not crisis.
As the final stretch approaches — Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi — Piastri faces a pivotal test. The young Aussie’s fightback depends on rediscovering the rhythm that carried him through the season’s first half. For now, Norris holds the upper hand — but if Piastri can master the nuances of his McLaren’s temperament, the title fight may still have one last twist left in it.
