Follow us on Google Discover Oscar Piastri has relinquished the lead of the Formula 1 world championship to Lando Norris after the latter won the Mexican Grand Prix. But a P5 finish in the race represented a solid recovery from a poor qualifying.
Norris romped to victory by over 30 seconds, showing the full potential of the McLaren car. A 15-point gain on Piastri puts him one clear heading into the final four races.
Piastri led the championship by 34 after winning the Dutch GP, but five races later, he’s fallen to second. While Jacques Villeneuve says Piastri has looked ‘tight’ in the cockpit lately, he delivered a gutsy move on George Russell here to ensure he scored in double figures.
Piastri initially had a poor start, but after regaining the lost ground, he leapfrogged the penalised Lewis Hamilton, passed Kimi Antonelli in the pit lane and then dispatched Russell. He might have snatched fourth late on without a virtual safety car that helped Haas high-flyer Oliver Bearman.
David Croft spots unique celebration at McLaren after Oscar Piastri pit stop
McLaren have struggled with slow pit stops lately, with both drivers affected. Piastri lost around three seconds in the box in Singapore, while Norris lost crucial ground in Italy, Azerbaijan and the USA.
Here, though, the team’s pit crew redeemed themselves. Having switched to a two-stop strategy, McLaren ordered Piastri to pit in a ploy to beat Antonelli.
He was no doubt surprised to see the Italian pit directly in front of him, but that set up a battle between the mechanics. And when Piastri emerged ahead, Sky Sports commentator David Croft noticed a moment of celebration.
“This had better be a fast stop, and it was!” he remarked. “Pat on the back from the mechanics as the McLaren roared off. Oscar Piastri has got ahead of Kimi Antonelli, and they did it in the pits. Well done to McLaren, that was a great stop!
“I’m sure there was a mechanic [who] just gave a pat on the engine cover or the roll hoop there as off the car went.”
Oscar Piastri acknowledges the ‘strange’ problem he’s facing at McLaren
McLaren mechanics have come under fire on social media, with fans unhappy at their drivers losing out. One can understand the feeling of relief after they nailed a defining moment in the race.
Piastri was silent on the radio after qualifying, which may have been a sign that he was feeling the pressure. Speaking to Sky after the race, he admitted that he’s in a ‘strange’ position as he’s forced to tweak the driving style that had previously been serving him well.
“Obviously, when your teammate wins the race, finishing fifth is nothing that extravagant,” he said. “I’ve just had to drive very differently the last couple of weekends – or I’ve not driven differently when I should have.
“I think that’s been a little bit strange to get my head around because I’ve been driving exactly the same as I have all year. It’s just the last couple of weekends the car or the tyres or something required quite a different way of driving. I’ve just not really gone to that.
“I’ve tried to change it up a bit today and once we analyse if it’s effective or not that will hopefully help see some progress.
“The car’s obviously not changed for a while so it’s nothing to do with the car. Given how the pace has differentiated, clearly Lando has found it easier to dial into that and I haven’t.
“It’s important to remember the other 19 races and the way I’ve been driving has been working pretty well. It’s about adding some tools to the toolbox, rather than reinventing myself.”
Piastri is still 34 points ahead of third-place Max Verstappen, who rounded out the podium places on Sunday.