McLaren insiders all say the same thing when asked if Oscar Piastri is feeling the ‘pressure’

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Oscar Piastri is competing for his first Formula 1 world championship in just his third season. No driver has won a title this early since Lewis Hamilton’s sophomore triumph in 2008.

Indeed, Piastri and teammate Lando Norris are vying to become McLaren’s first champion since that day in Brazil 17 years ago.

The Australian, 24, is no longer one of the youngest drivers in F1 thanks to this year’s influx of rookies. But it’s worth remembering that last weekend’s Mexican GP was only his 66th race.

Piastri assumed the position of strong favourite when he won the Dutch GP in August and Norris retired, putting him 34 points clear. That tag has perhaps weighed heavily.

McLaren insist Oscar Piastri slump isn’t down to ‘pressure’

Piastri hasn’t scored a podium in any of the last four races. He’d managed 14 in the first 16 Grands Prix.

His slump started with two crashes in a scoreless Azerbaijan weekend and has also featured an accident in the Austin Sprint race. Norris has looked comfortably faster in the last two race weekends.

Many outsiders are assuming that Piastri, widely hailed for his resistance to pressure earlier this year, has become nervous. But the team disagree.

Appearing on the Pit Pass F1 podcast during the Mexico weekend, Julianne Cerasoli said: “Speaking to people in the team, nobody has the feeling that he’s feeling the pressure because of the championship lead.

“He’s just putting his head down and working, and he really believes that he’s going to find a way around these problems he’s having at this particular moment.”

And ESPN’s Nate Saunders added: “Knowing Piastri how we do, and everyone you talk to at McLaren says he doesn’t really feel the pressure. I don’t see him having a big issue.”

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Piastri ‘spent all night’ studying data after qualifying in Mexico to try and understand where he was lacking pace. That resulted in a creditable fightback to P5.

Norris’ victory means the lead changes hands with four rounds remaining, but it also gives Piastri a chance to reset. With just one point in it, he can effectively view it as a four-race championship.

Now, Timo Glock says Norris will be under pressure. The Briton seems to have relished the role of hunter.

It’s possible that the external noise around McLaren’s team orders has affected Piastri’s focus.

Martin Brundle is certain that McLaren aren’t favouring Norris because it would be counterintuitive, particularly with Max Verstappen ready to capitalise on any major slip-ups.