In a season that has shocked us all in recent weeks with the re-emergence of Max Verstappen as a genuine championship contender, perhaps even more surprising was Oscar Piastri’s decline in form.
The Australian has been unflappable for much of this season. His ninth-place finish in the opening race in Melbourne – achieved with a stunning move over Lewis Hamilton on the final lap after slipping out of a fight for victory when rain struck – was followed by a remarkable run of podium finishes and victories that saw only one interruption from China to Monza: a fourth-place finish in Canada.
How come Piastri has not managed to finish on the podium since that third place in Italy?
Azerbaijan felt like an anomaly at the time, as a messy weekend culminated in a fast start and a first-lap exit as Piastri tried to right his earlier mistakes. But Singapore marked a return to form of sorts, beating Lando Norris to finish one place and two seconds behind his teammate after a close call from the line.
It’s the final two laps at Circuit of The Americas and Mexico City that really stand out, as a battle between the two McLaren drivers that previously ebbed and flowed within a tenth of a second has given way to a significant advantage for Norris.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella has one explanation, which certainly fits in with the low grip nature of the weekend in Mexico.
“After qualifying, we extensively reviewed everything with Oscar from a data, commentary and video perspective,” says Stella. “And I think we’ve gathered some important information about how to drive the car in these special, low-grip conditions that we’re facing here in Mexico, including conditions similar to those in Austin.
“And it seems that in this regime you have to drive the car in a way that adapts to the fact that the car is sliding and sliding a lot and [still] produce lap time. And this is not necessarily how Oscar feels he is producing lap times.”
Stella’s balancing act between Norris (left) and Piastri has taken a new turn lately. Andy Hone/Getty Images
Before qualifying in Mexico, that was a summary not fully accepted by Piastri’s team, who felt the gap in Austin was telling. A year ago, Piastri crossed the line six seconds behind Norris, showing he can handle similar conditions. But this time he was back 22 seconds.
However, this is a different McLaren car than a year ago, and Stella – keen to ensure Piastri’s development curve is remembered by pointing out he is only in his third year in Formula 1 – says the Australian is already finding ways to adapt his driving style to cope with his problems.
“We identified a few things we could do with the car and a few things he could do with the driving,” Stella said. “I think Oscar should be very proud of himself, the way he handled the transition [qualifying to the race].
“We could see in the race that he applied this. He definitely had a more competitive pace than that [in qualifying] and it’s a bit of a shame that he wasn’t able to fully utilize this pace because we couldn’t find a way to just get him out of traffic. He spent the entire race looking at the gearbox of the car in front of him.
“But for Oscar it is important that we have these kinds of experiences in which we learn new tools that we can add to the toolbox. Because that is how you become the most complete version of a Formula 1 driver.”
“This is also important for the next four races where we will again encounter different conditions. So we have to be ready for all of them. But I think Oscar must be very proud and happy with his race.”
While Piastri has been on a cold streak, his teammate has gone from strength to strength. Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
Stella also says there was a level of dominance from Norris in Mexico City that accentuated Piastri’s struggles, but did not come out of the blue.
“It is not the first time that Lando has shown performance at this level. Here he was very convincing,” said Stella. “I think he was essentially the fastest in every session. He was able to take advantage of the performance and the power of the car.
“In a way, these special conditions with low grip fit perfectly. It’s a natural way to set lap times, which is almost the opposite of Oscar’s characteristics. And I think it will only strengthen Lando’s confidence and it will be important for the last four races.”
“But I think both Lando and Oscar go into the last four races with reasons to be confident. And I think the team also goes into the last four races with a better understanding of how we can consistently get performance out of the car, because we have sometimes left some performance in the garage in the last few races before Mexico.”
With Piastri himself admitting in Mexico on Sunday evening that he has had to adapt his driving style over the past two weekends to such an extent that he found it difficult to keep his head on, it appears that the 24-year-old recognizes that there are ways in which he can get more out of the car. But he is also right when he points out that “the way I rode during the other 19 races worked quite well.”
His struggles in Austin really came as a surprise, and the back-to-back nature of the two races gave Piastri little time to try to recover, heading to a track in Mexico City where he would likely only find it harder to implement solutions.
Interlagos, on the other hand, comes after a two-week break, during which Piastri can both delve into the details and reset. It has been a huge strength of Piastri that he has responded remarkably quickly to such challenges in the past, but the difference is that this time he is doing it under the added gloss of a title fight.
Last year in Brazil, Piastri matched Norris and dutifully played second fiddle to his teammate’s championship hopes. Next weekend he will try to repeat his habit of improving quickly, while focusing on that same hope.
Piastri’s short F1 career so far could indicate that he will bounce back in Brazil, and he will need to. COTA and Mexico City could individually be considered a pair, but a third straight weekend of trouble would represent a much more serious trend.
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