Anthony Davidson ‘impressed’ by what he saw Oscar Piastri do after enduring disappointment

Follow us on Google Discover

McLaren star Oscar Piastri goes into the final four rounds of the 2025 season amid his worst run of results this year, and having lost the lead in the F1 drivers’ championship.

The 24-year-old will arrive in Brazil for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix sitting one point adrift of his McLaren teammate Lando Norris atop the F1 drivers’ standings. Max Verstappen of Red Bull is also just 36 points from the lead, despite trailing Piastri by 104 points after round 15 of 24.

Norris and Verstappen have both outscored Piastri in each of the past five rounds to destroy what were 34 and 104-point deficits to the Australian. Piastri failed to score a single podium over the last four Grands Prix, too, for his worst run of results since rounds 19 to 22 of 2024.

Piastri’s crash in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, after he did not forget jumping the start, started the McLaren man’s miserable run. His sorry streak also featured Piastri crashing into Norris in the COTA Sprint, before finishing the Mexico City Grand Prix 42.065s from his papaya pal.

Oscar Piastri’s response to a ‘disappointing’ qualifying in Mexico impressed Anthony Davidson

Norris won the Mexico City GP from pole position last time out, and the 25-year-old even hit the chequered flag leading Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc in P2 by 30.324s. Piastri only finished P5 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and he started the race from seventh on the grid.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

Piastri qualified P8 for the Mexico City GP but gained one place due to Williams’ Carlos Sainz carrying a five-place grid penalty. But the Melbourne native impressed Anthony Davidson by instantly bouncing back from a “disappointing” qualifying result with a solid race in Mexico.

Davidson told Sky Sports: “I was impressed with how Oscar dusted himself off in Mexico after a disappointing qualifying. He got stuck in, he had a good race pace and made some decisive moves when he needed to. I was impressed by how resilient he was.

“Things haven’t gone his way recently, but nothing lasts forever, especially in F1. You’re only as good as your last performance. He might completely turn things around in Brazil.

“He’s got Qatar to look forward to, a circuit where he’s traditionally been super strong. That’s the track where he won his first (Sprint) race. He’s just got to keep doing what he’s done all year and just wait for a better day, because it will come.”

Oscar Piastri won the Qatar Sprint and took Grand Prix podiums in 2023 and 2024

Piastri especially struggled for pace at the Mexico City GP last time out due to the lower grip levels on offer around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. But those issues are unlikely to persist across the rounds in Brazil, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, with Las Vegas his only likely worry.

Despite Norris now leading the championship, Kevin Magnussen still backs Piastri to win the 2025 F1 drivers’ title, as well. Only one point separates the papaya pilots atop the standings ahead of the Sao Paulo GP in Brazil, and there are 116 points on offer over the final rounds.

Along with the Grands Prix, Brazil and Qatar will stage the final two F1 Sprint events of 2025. Piastri gave Norris the 2024 Brazil Sprint win to help his title bid, but won the Qatar Sprint in 2023 and ‘24. Norris gave Piastri the 2024 Qatar Sprint win as payback for the Brazil Sprint.