Andrea Stella hints there was one moment where F1 title pressure got to Oscar Piastri in 2025

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Andrea Stella thinks the explanation for Oscar Piastri’s drop-off at the end of the 2025 F1 season is simple. Stella, who comes from an engineering background, puts it down to ‘technical’ problems.

Piastri was leading by 34 points after the Dutch GP but ultimately finished 13 points behind world champion teammate Lando Norris. A 47-point swing in eight weekends doesn’t necessarily amount to a collapse, but it’s not far short.

The Australian lost ground to Norris in Azerbaijan, Mexico and Brazil, all races where grip was limited. Stella says he had to make unnatural adjustments to his driving style.

And when a driver overthinks, it can cost them ‘several positions’, particularly in the closest field ever. While Norris won in Mexico City and Sao Paulo, Piastri was only fifth in those races.

Andrea Stella says ‘hesitations’ crept in for Oscar Piastri in Azerbaijan

There is, however, one outlier – Baku. Several drivers crashed during a wind-swept qualifying session, with Piastri among them.

But starting from ninth, Piastri moved before the lights went out and found the barriers halfway round the opening lap. It was a completely unrecognisable display from a driver who had been virtually faultless up to that point.

Even the technically-minded Stella says Piastri became ‘hesitant’ in Azerbaijan. He was on the wrong end of a controversial McLaren team order at Monza two weeks earlier, which saw the scrutiny on the team reach its peak.

Finish the sentence: In his Formula 1 career, Oscar PIastri will win ____ titles

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“The low-grip circuits required a driving style that came so natural to Lando, and so much thinking from Oscar about what the car needs,” Stella told the Chequered Flag podcast.

“With the level of drivers we have at the moment, as soon as you have to think too much in the way you drive, you lose several positions.

“I think really, the only event in which Oscar had some hesitations this year, is just Baku. All the rest, in my view, has a technical explanation. It has to do with the role of drivers and the impact of not being perfect to the last one percent.

“Oscar showed maturity once again in the way he withstood the difficulties we had as a team. Once again, that’s quite impressive for somebody who’s in his third season in Formula 1.”

Did one penalty cost Oscar Piastri the world championship?

Piastri will partly feel hard done by as he reflects on the season, even if he recognises the need to improve.

For instance, George Russell felt Piastri didn’t deserve the penalty that cost him the win at the British GP. The 14-point swing in Norris’ favour is even more painful in light of the final standings.

What’s more, Piastri’s camp were unhappy with McLaren after they blamed him for the crash involving the two cars at the start of the Austin Sprint. That cost him the preferential run plan in qualifying for the remainder of the season.

Still, one pundit says Piastri still lacks the consistency required to win a title, which is ultimately what cost him. It’s worth remembering that 2025 was only his third season.