Oscar Piastri is now facing a similar issue that stung Michael Schumacher when he first joined Ferrari

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Oscar Piastri is quickly learning how fast a title challenge can fall apart in Formula 1, but many of the sport’s greatest drivers have experienced a similar scenario.

Since the Dutch Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri has gone from having a 34-point advantage over McLaren teammate Lando Norris to being 24 points behind with three race weekends to go.

There was a point when it looked like Max Verstappen might pull off one of Formula 1’s greatest comebacks, but he now needs a serious amount of luck to win a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship.

Verstappen had to catch Lewis Hamilton in 2021 to win his first title, and did so in dramatic circumstances.

Hamilton missed out on the 2007 championship at the final race to Kimi Raikkonen, and was denied the 2016 title by Nico Rosberg after suffering worse reliability than his Mercedes teammate.

He currently holds the joint record for most F1 titles with Michael Schumacher, who remains the only driver to have won five consecutive championships between 2000 and 2004.

However, like Hamilton and many others before him, Schumacher also struggled with getting several title charges over the line, particularly when he first joined Ferrari.

Journalist Andrew Benson has now outlined the similarities between Piastri’s faltering 2025 campaign and what Schumacher dealt with at Ferrari after winning his first two championships with Benetton.

READ MORE: Ralf Schumacher saw something ‘very dangerous’ when watching Oscar Piastri at the Mexican Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri struggling with pressure like Michael Schumacher during his early Ferrari days

Benson was speaking on the Chequered Flag Podcast about Piastri and said: “His form’s just fallen off a cliff. He’s made five mistakes in five weekends, not one at a time.

“He had three crashes and a jumpstart in Baku. He misjudged the start of the Sprint Race in Austin. Although it was classed as a racing incident, I think he was primarily to blame for causing that crash at the start in the Sprint.

“Now he’s made another one in Brazil. You can’t come to any conclusion other than that the pressures got to him at this point. And it’s completely understandable. He’s only 24.

“It’s only his third season in Formula 1. Norris is in his ninth. Even the very greatest drivers struggled with pressure in the championship.

“Think of Michael Schumacher. He won two championships with Benetton. But then, when he was at Ferrari, he made some mistakes in those championship years in the late 90s.

“I know from speaking to people inside Ferrari at the time that even he, you wouldn’t think it of Schumacher of all people, but even he struggled with the pressure of the championship.

“We saw Lewis Hamilton make a mistake in his first year in 2007 when he went off in the Chinese Grand Prix, and that effectively cost him the championship that race. So it happens, and it’s something that he’ll learn from.”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1 legend Michael Schumacher from net worth to career stats

How Michael Schumacher ‘changed’ Ferrari from the inside after joining from Benetton

McLaren are arguably the best-run Formula 1 team on the grid right now, even if some of their decision-making has been questioned by people in the paddock.

Their efforts to be as fair as possible to Norris and Piastri haven’t always gone down well, but both drivers, at least publicly, have backed Andrea Stella and Zak Brown’s rulings.

Guenther Steiner previously shared how Schumacher had to change Ferrari when he initially arrived from Benetton.

He brought the likes of Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne with him, and it took years for Ferrari to become competitive once again.

Schumacher nearly won the 1997 championship against Jacques Villeneuve before being excluded from the standings for driving the Canadian off the track at the final race in Jerez.

It showed just how much he was feeling the pressure of performing at Ferrari, and while McLaren’s fanbase isn’t quite as passionate, Piastri has the hopes of an entire nation on his shoulders.

Piastri has done Australia proud, but may fall just short this year as Norris appears to have hit form at the perfect time.