An F1 expert is predicting Oscar Piastri will have an incredibly tough time overturning the deficit to win the Drivers’ Championship after the Australian shut down the notion he would play second-fiddle this weekend to Lando Norris. Piastri endured another tough night out at the Las Vegas GP last week having finished fourth after watching Max Verstappen take podium.
Teammate and championship leader Norris finished second, but both McLaren drivers were disqualified after the race for technical regulations. The skid blocks on both cars were found to be less than the minimum 9mm depth allowed by the rules, and the stewards had no choice but to disqualify them.
F1 experts are predicting Australian driver Oscar Piastri (picture right) will have an incredibly tough time overturning the deficit to win the Drivers’ Championship with his form dipping in recent weeks. (Images: Getty Images)
The double disqualification is actually a good result for the Australian because Piastri didn’t lose any more ground on Norris. Had that result stood, Piastri would have been 30 points behind Norris in the championship battle. But with both McLaren drivers disqualified, it means Piastri is back to being just 24 points behind.
However, Verstappen is now 24 points behind Norris and equal with Piastri. The Australian is now facing the possibility of not even finishing second in the race. During the race, Piastri’s struggles were evident having battled to get past Isack Hadjar with his pace at one stage.
And F1 expert Cameron Van Den Dungen feels Piastri’s form, stretching back to the Azerbaijan GP, shows he might not have the ability in the McLaren to overturn the 24 points deficit in two races. “He couldn’t get by Hadjar then he went to put a move on Antonelli and he couldn’t get it done. His pace and speed, I don’t know what’s happened,” Van Den Dungen saud on SEN Radio.
“These were moves he was putting on with ease at the start of the season. He is labouring behind the wheel at the moment. Something is not gelling for him at the moment.
“Unless something magical happens, he is not a contender. I’m not seeing the speed from him. Six races he has not been on the podium. He is about the fifth fastest on the grid.” Great Briton’s Norris has the ability to wrap-up the title this weekend if he finished at least two points ahead of Piastri or Verstappen.
The Qatar GP offers Norris a number of opportunities to take home the title. The sprint leading into the race could see him extend his lead. Piastri would need Norris to finish third or worse in the sprint to have a chance of the title. Norris would then have to fail to podium in the Qatar GP to take the championship race to the final week in Abu Dhabi.
Oscar Piastri still going for the title
There has been speculation over whether McLaren would ask Piastri to protect Norris’ lead from Verstappen to guarantee McLaren has the champion come the end of the season. Piastri could make Verstappen’s drive more difficult in Qatar if he opted not to go for the championship. However, the Australian told the media the team decided he was allowed to drive for his own success in Qatar.
“We’ve had a very brief discussion, and the answer is no,” Piastri said on whether he would solely support Norris. “I’m still equal on points with Max and have a decent shot at still winning it if things go my way.”
Oscar Piastri calling for rules clarification
The Qatar GP offers the drivers a chance to meet with the FIA and clarify some guidelines around the rules heading into the final two races of the season. Carlos Sainz was left stunned Piastri copped a penalty at the Brazilian GP and called for the issue to be sorted out with the FIA.
And Piastri also raised the issue after colliding with Liam Lawson at the start of the Las Vegas GP, which had plenty of fans questioning the rules. “So, obviously, I think we’ll probably be talking about that one next week in our meeting. But that made things tough and a few more difficult moments…” Piastri said to RacingNews365 and other outlets after his collision with Lawson.
Oscar Piastri (pictured) trails Lando Norris by 24 points with two races to go in the season.
Oscar Piastri defiant after McLaren DQ
After the disqualification in Las Vegas, Piastri remained stoic and claimed he was already looking ahead to next week’s race. “Disappointing to come away from this weekend with no points after an unfortunate disqualification due to skid wear. With how close the grid is, we’re always looking at where we can gain performance, and we didn’t get it right this time,” he said. “We now need to reset, refocus and push to get the best points possible in the final two rounds, both tracks that we’ve been strong at previously.”