Martin Brundle shares his ‘gut feeling’ about Oscar Piastri after he lost F1 title lead to Lando Norris

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Oscar Piastri is desperate to regain the form he started the 2025 F1 season in, and Martin Brundle has shared the ‘gut feeling’ he has over the Australian’s chances of doing it this weekend in Brazil.

After starting the current campaign as a force to be reckoned with, Piastri’s title hopes have unravelled following the resumption of the F1 season following the summer break.

Stretching out a 34-point lead after the conclusion of the Dutch GP in August, the Australian now finds himself trailing his McLaren counterpart, Lando Norris, by a single point in the F1 standings.

He hasn’t featured on the podium in the last five races, a stark change in form from the beginning of the year, which saw him secure a podium in all but two of the first 14 race weekends.

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Martin Brundle backs Oscar Piastri to return to his ‘old form’ this weekend in Sao Paulo

The F1 grid is certain that one of the McLaren drivers will take the title home with them following the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi. But the question is, which one of them will take it?

Norris is the most in-form driver out of the duo at the moment, but Martin Brundle has tipped his teammate to make a startling return to form this weekend in Interlagos now that he is no longer the flag bearer at the top of the table.

Speaking as part of Sky Sports F1’s coverage of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the legendary F1 figure said, “What will have worried him a lot is just his sheer lack of pace in Mexico.

“There have been a lot of other incidents, obviously, Baku was a nightmare for him with the crashes and the jump start, but my gut feeling is, I think you’re gonna see Oscar back to his old form this weekend of earlier in the season.

“Nothing to lose now, he’s the hunter again when he comes to this track, he was on pole last year for the sprint.”

However, Brundle did also note how Norris’ form could prove to be a thorn in the Australian’s side, adding, “Doubling up on his problems, though, is Lando; he’s hit a rich seam of form and really looked accomplished and confident in the other side of the garage.

“And the age-old story, you’re either giving pressure or taking pressure, is never more true than just the other side of that hoarding there in Formula 1 at the moment.”

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It’s now or never for Oscar Piastri in the 2025 Formula 1 title fight

Piastri stunned the F1 paddock with his pace at the beginning of the year, which makes his drop-off in form in recent races all the more startling.

Once considered an ice-cold candidate for the mantle as one of the best drivers on the grid, his abilities were called into question following Piastri’s disastrous weekend that unfolded at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in September.

If he falls even further behind his McLaren counterpart this weekend in Sao Paulo, he will face a mammoth task in trying to overturn the deficit that he has accrued.

Despite that, it is Formula 1, and things can change in a heartbeat if the Australian is able to stay within 25 points of his title rival between now and the end of the season. All it takes is one finish outside of the top 10 for things to be flipped on their head.

Early signs show that Piastri is looking more comfortable in the MCL39 this weekend in Brazil. However, his FP1 benchmark was topped by Norris during his final lap of the session.

The British driver proved to be a thorn in Piastri’s side again during Friday evening’s qualifying session. Norris will start from pole position, and the Australian will line up for Saturday’s Sprint race directly behind him in third.