Oscar Piastri feels the world championship slowly slipping through his fingers. The Australian led fifteen Grand Prix, but now shares second place with Max Verstappen. The gap to teammate and championship leader Lando Norris is still 24 points. Piastri admits that the outcome of the season is no longer in his own hands, but is nevertheless determined to win the last two Grand Prix.
During the GP of Las Vegas, Piastri inherited fourth place from Kimi Antonelli, after the Italian received a time penalty for an incident at the start. Not much later, however, Piastri was himself disqualified from the results, because the skid block under his McLaren was worn down too far. A small consolation: teammate Norris also lost his second place and therefore did not further extend his lead in the championship. Piastri is now level with Verstappen, who triumphed in the gambling city.
A Touch of Luck
Piastri is not oblivious to the severity of the situation. He knows he still has a real chance at the title, but he also needs a touch of luck. And a bit of misfortune for Norris. “It’s disappointing to leave Las Vegas without points,” Piastri responded to his disqualification. “Given how close the field is, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our performance. This time we failed. We start again and focus on scoring as many points as possible in the last two races. Fortunately, they are two circuits where we have previously been strong.””I still believe I can win the title, but I’m clearly in a position where winning races isn’t enough,” he clarified to the press in Las Vegas. “I need to put myself in a position where I can benefit if something happens. For my own pride, my ego, and my chances, I want to win the next two races. That’s all I can do. If it falls my way, it falls my way. And if not, so be it. I just want to have two strong weekends.”
Focus on Winning
The media continued to probe about the championship. “As I said, it’s no longer within my power,” Piastri reiterated. “In a way, that takes the pressure off, but it doesn’t change my drive to perform and win. That’s where my focus is.” He was clear about his recent slump in form. “There have been things going wrong lately that I had both control and no control over. Las Vegas was a combination of both, so there are definitely things I can improve. But there are also plenty of positive points from the recent Grands Prix to take with me.”
Piastri is hopeful for the upcoming race weekend in Qatar. “It should be a strong race for us as a team,” he concluded optimistically. “The strategy is more or less set,” he referred to the adjusted Pirelli rules. Drivers are allowed to drive a maximum of 25 laps on one set of tires. “It’s a circuit I enjoy and where I’ve had good results before. Hopefully, it will be a great weekend.”
