Ralf Schumacher can tell exactly what’s on Oscar Piastri’s ‘mind’ when he hears his radio messages

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Ralf Schumacher believes that Oscar Piastri may share the same suspicions as his manager, Mark Webber, through the radio messages between the 24-year-old and the McLaren pit wall.

The Australian driver has been in somewhat of a rut in recent races, adding to the drama surrounding his intense title fight with McLaren counterpart Lando Norris.

After starting the first 16 races of the season with just two results outside the podium, Piastri has failed to secure a top-three finish in the previous two rounds of racing in Azerbaijan and Singapore.

It has led many to believe that Piastri is suffering from the pressure that comes with fighting for your maiden world championship in the category.

However, Ralf Schumacher has revealed that Mark Webber has a differing verdict on the sub-optimal results, noting that the former F1 driver is ‘totally suspicious’ of the Woking-based team in a verdict that could also be playing on the mind of the nine-time Grand Prix winner.

READ MORE: The ‘incredible’ impact Mark Webber is having on Oscar Piastri behind the scenes at McLaren

Ralf Schumacher highlights Mark Webber’s frustrations with McLaren amid Oscar Piastri’s F1 title hopes

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has assured Piastri’s camp that they aren’t favouring Norris, but according to Schumacher, Webber isn’t convinced.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, the German pundit debated whether Piastri’s mental state being influenced by his manager during the critical stages of the current campaign can be seen as a positive or not.

“Well, the environment is crucial in such a situation, and I’m not quite sure if he is being well advised there, because you can always read facial expressions and faces,” Schumacher told his co-host, Peter Hardenacke.

“His manager, Mark Webber, has been through quite a bit himself, and you can see it on him. Mark is totally suspicious, and you can also tell that he always feels his driver should be more supported by the team or should be the clear number one.

“That sits a bit in Oscar Piastri’s mind, especially when you listen to his radio messages. You can filter out that he is a bit influenced and is trying this psychological warfare, especially with Lando, because he knows that he reacts a bit to it.

“It’s always this, let me through or this or that. Piastri is doing it relatively skilfully, putting the team clearly under pressure and somewhat demanding his number one status. And I don’t know if he is well advised in that.”

Schumacher and Webber know each other relatively well from the overlap in their F1 careers. The two former drivers raced against each other in the years between Webber’s debut in 2002 and Schumacher’s retirement in 2007.

READ MORE: Ralf Schumacher can tell exactly what’s on Oscar Piastri’s ‘mind’ when he hears his radio messages

Oscar Piastri is still in control of the drivers’ championship with six rounds remaining

With six rounds of the current campaign remaining, Piastri is still in control of the top spot in the drivers’ standings as he holds a fragile 22-point lead over Norris in second place.

The Australian was aided by his teammate’s DNF at Zandvoort in August, which propelled his advantage in the championship to a 34-point lead.

Piastri’s opening lap disaster at Baku saw the British driver fail to capitalise on his McLaren counterpart’s mistakes as he bit into the deficit by just six points once the chequered flag fell.

Webber knew that Piastri would be in title contention during pre-season, and has been doing his very best to ensure that his client doesn’t suffer from the same lack of favour that he experienced during his tenure at Red Bull.