Jenson Button has just made an Oscar Piastri claim that suggests his 2025 F1 title hopes are over

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Oscar Piastri has suffered a damaging blow to his 2025 title chances after he was disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Coming into the race 24 points behind his McLaren teammate, the Australian needed a strong weekend. But given the team’s previous history at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and struggles in the cold temperatures, it was bound to be tough.

Piastri qualified P5 after he aborted his final run in Q3. Isack Hadjar ran alongside the 24-year-old on the run down to turn 12, forcing him to go into the run-off area.

Piastri does not blame Hadjar for his qualifying position, as he had already aborted his lap. He lined up on the third row of the grid, with Norris taking pole position from Max Verstappen.

In the race, the Aussie struggled to make progress and crossed the line where he started in fifth. He was elevated to P4 thanks to Kimi Antonelli’s five-second time penalty, but was later disqualified alongside teammate Norris for excessive plank wear.

Jenson Button thinks Lando Norris sees Max Verstappen as his ‘main title rival’, not Oscar Piastri

Verstappen claimed victory in Las Vegas to keep his title hopes alive heading into the final two races. Norris lost his lead at the start as he attempted to block the Red Bull driver into turn one, but ended up running wide.

In the background, Piastri was hit by Liam Lawson at the first corner. The Racing Bulls driver suffered front wing damage, while the McLaren star was lucky to come out of the incident unscathed.

Damon Hill questioned why Lawson was not penalised for the incident, but ultimately, it had little effect on Piastri’s race.

With Verstappen closing the gap to the McLarens, Jenson Button thinks Norris now sees Verstappen as his ‘main title rival’. It would suggest that Piastri’s hopes of winning the championship are over.

He said via Sky Sports F1 (23/11, 5:30 am): “It’s still very, very difficult, but if he keeps performing like that, there’s every opportunity. I think Lando, looking at that championship, would feel quite comfortable, but he’ll be looking at Max rather than Oscar as his main title rival at the moment, I would say.”

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

Is Oscar Piastri out of the running for the 2025 F1 title?

With 58 points still up for grabs from two Grand Prix and one Sprint race, Piastri still has a mathematical chance of winning the title. However, he will need a mega weekend in Qatar to keep his hopes alive.

His current form does not make for good reading coming into the race. Piastri has not finished on the podium since Monza and has not beaten Norris or Verstappen since that race.

David Coulthard thinks Piastri has fatigue in the title battle. It is the ‘only’ way he can explain the Aussie’s rotten run of form as he desperately struggles to stay in the title fight.

He will need to pull off a monumental recovery to win the 2025 championship from this point. Norris is pulling away from Piastri, while Verstappen is breathing down both of their necks.