‘One of the worst things I’ve seen in F1’

Oscar Piastri won’t have to look too hard to work out where his season all went wrong after a brutal end to the F1 world championship.

Andrew McMurtry

December 8, 2025 - 11:58AM

news.com.au

This picture is where Oscar Piastri wanted to finish the 2025 F1 season — just not the right position. After a gruelling 24-race calendar the Aussie has finished just 23 points short of his maiden world championship behind new world champion Lando Norris and four-time champion Max Verstappen in third. While this might be hige result for most people, there is a huge sense of what could have been for the 24-year-old Aussie who led much of the F1 season. Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP

1/106This picture is where Oscar Piastri wanted to finish the 2025 F1 season — just not the right position. After a gruelling 24-race calendar the Aussie has finished just 23 points short of his maiden world championship behind new world champion Lando Norris and four-time champion Max Verstappen in third. While this might be hige result for most people, there is a huge sense of what could have been for the 24-year-old Aussie who led much of the F1 season. Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP

The season will go into the history books as one of the closest in recent memory but a third place finish in the final race of the season was enough for Norris to seal his maiden world title just two points ahead of Max Verstappen. Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP

2/106The season will go into the history books as one of the closest in recent memory but a third place finish in the final race of the season was enough for Norris to seal his maiden world title just two points ahead of Max Verstappen. Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP

Piastri was magnanimous in defeat, celebrating with his teammates, despite it likely being one of the lowest moments of his career so far after leading the championship by as much as 34 points. A mix of team orders, bad strategy, a horror European run and a horrific blunder can all be turning points which meant the Aussie will be starring at a third-place trophy rather than being a world champion. Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP

3/106Piastri was magnanimous in defeat, celebrating with his teammates, despite it likely being one of the lowest moments of his career so far after leading the championship by as much as 34 points. A mix of team orders, bad strategy, a horror European run and a horrific blunder can all be turning points which meant the Aussie will be starring at a third-place trophy rather than being a world champion. Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP

While the Papaya Rules had made plenty of headlines in 2025, it came into sharp focus at the Italian Grand Prix. Norris had been leading the race but due to an issue with his front left tyre, the McLaren ordered the pair to switch. Piastri was picked up on radio saying: “Mate, we said a slow pit stop (which) is part of racing, so I don’t really get what’s changed here.’ But I will do it.” After Piastri let him pass his race engineer said: “Appreciate that was pretty painful in a way, but you’ve done the right thing”. It could be argued that Norris had done similar for Piastri’s first race win in Hungary last year — although that was a team tactic issue that put the Aussie behind and Norris took 20 laps to obey team orders, souring what should have been huge moment for Piastri. Already at Monza, Piastri had given Norris a tow to help him get out of qualifying after he was headed for an embarrassing early exit. Ultimately Norris finished the race second behind Verstappen with Piastri third. It was a six point swing that could have made the end of the season even more interesting. Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images

4/106While the Papaya Rules had made plenty of headlines in 2025, it came into sharp focus at the Italian Grand Prix. Norris had been leading the race but due to an issue with his front left tyre, the McLaren ordered the pair to switch. Piastri was picked up on radio saying: “Mate, we said a slow pit stop (which) is part of racing, so I don’t really get what’s changed here.’ But I will do it.” After Piastri let him pass his race engineer said: “Appreciate that was pretty painful in a way, but you’ve done the right thing”. It could be argued that Norris had done similar for Piastri’s first race win in Hungary last year — although that was a team tactic issue that put the Aussie behind and Norris took 20 laps to obey team orders, souring what should have been huge moment for Piastri. Already at Monza, Piastri had given Norris a tow to help him get out of qualifying after he was headed for an embarrassing early exit. Ultimately Norris finished the race second behind Verstappen with Piastri third. It was a six point swing that could have made the end of the season even more interesting. Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images

After the title was decided, fans couldn’t help think back to Monza. On fan tweeted: “Thinking about that swap in Monza between Norris and Piastri, which literally gifted the championship to Norris. Oscar you do not deserve this, the team treated you horribly.” Another added: “If I’m Oscar Piastri I’m hating myself for all the times I backed the team. Imagine going through stuff like Monza just for the team to completely screw you when you still have a slim chance of a title.” Another posted: “Mclaren’s treatment of Piastri has been nothing short of awful lol. Monza was one of the worst things I’ve seen in F1.” And there were plenty more where that came from. Photo: AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File

5/106After the title was decided, fans couldn’t help think back to Monza. On fan tweeted: “Thinking about that swap in Monza between Norris and Piastri, which literally gifted the championship to Norris. Oscar you do not deserve this, the team treated you horribly.” Another added: “If I’m Oscar Piastri I’m hating myself for all the times I backed the team. Imagine going through stuff like Monza just for the team to completely screw you when you still have a slim chance of a title.” Another posted: “Mclaren’s treatment of Piastri has been nothing short of awful lol. Monza was one of the worst things I’ve seen in F1.” And there were plenty more where that came from. Photo: AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File

Arguably the worst moment of Piastri’s season came at the Azerbaiijan Grand Prix. Having come into the race 31 points ahead of Norris and being the 2024 winner of the race, Baku was an unmitigated disaster for Piastri. Piastri qualified ninth after he put his car in the wall in Q3, but it got so much worse in the race. Usually an iceman, Piastri’s mask slipped as he jumped the start, triggering his anti-stall and dropping to last as the race began. He then ran into the wall at turn 5 and was out of the race. While Norris finished 7, which only cost him six points overall in a race won by Verstappen, it was really the beginning of the end for Piastri. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

6/106Arguably the worst moment of Piastri’s season came at the Azerbaiijan Grand Prix. Having come into the race 31 points ahead of Norris and being the 2024 winner of the race, Baku was an unmitigated disaster for Piastri. Piastri qualified ninth after he put his car in the wall in Q3, but it got so much worse in the race. Usually an iceman, Piastri’s mask slipped as he jumped the start, triggering his anti-stall and dropping to last as the race began. He then ran into the wall at turn 5 and was out of the race. While Norris finished 7, which only cost him six points overall in a race won by Verstappen, it was really the beginning of the end for Piastri. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

NOTE: if he won the race, he would have gained 21 points on Norris — and it’s a race he’s won before. And remember, he only lost by 23 points. Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP

7/106NOTE: if he won the race, he would have gained 21 points on Norris — and it’s a race he’s won before. And remember, he only lost by 23 points. Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP

Then there was Singapore where Piastri qualified third, with Norris starting behind him in fifth. A dramatic start to the race left Piastri livid after Norris got ahead only after bouncing off the back of Max Verstappen and into his Aussie teammate, sending him wide and giving the Brit the advantage, which he never relinquished for the remainder of the race. Piastri was furious, saying on team radio at the time “So are we cool with Lando just barging me out of the way?” When told the team would deal with it later, Piastri said: “That’s not fair, that’s not fair… If he has to avoid another car by crashing into his teammate, then that’s a pretty shit job of avoiding.” A 5.2 second pit stop then ended any chance of Piastri pushing for a podium. It was likely another six point swing towards Norris. Photo: Fox Sports

8/106Then there was Singapore where Piastri qualified third, with Norris starting behind him in fifth. A dramatic start to the race left Piastri livid after Norris got ahead only after bouncing off the back of Max Verstappen and into his Aussie teammate, sending him wide and giving the Brit the advantage, which he never relinquished for the remainder of the race. Piastri was furious, saying on team radio at the time “So are we cool with Lando just barging me out of the way?” When told the team would deal with it later, Piastri said: “That’s not fair, that’s not fair… If he has to avoid another car by crashing into his teammate, then that’s a pretty shit job of avoiding.” A 5.2 second pit stop then ended any chance of Piastri pushing for a podium. It was likely another six point swing towards Norris. Photo: Fox Sports

The result sealed the Constructor’s Championship. But while Piastri partied with the team after, his actions in the car reflected his true feelings. “Oscar, back-to-back champions,” Brown was heard saying with a congratulatory tone. “Good race. Tough race. Thankyou. Uh …” Brown said before the Piastri disconnected the radio. Actions do speak louder than words. Photo by Pauline Ballet/Getty Images

9/106The result sealed the Constructor’s Championship. But while Piastri partied with the team after, his actions in the car reflected his true feelings. “Oscar, back-to-back champions,” Brown was heard saying with a congratulatory tone. “Good race. Tough race. Thankyou. Uh …” Brown said before the Piastri disconnected the radio. Actions do speak louder than words. Photo by Pauline Ballet/Getty Images

Add in losing eight points due to a harsh penalty in Brazil, a joint disqualification in Las Vegas for both Norris and Piastri, as well as the butchered strategy in Qatar on a weekend where Piastri had won everything but the main race after a massive strategy c**k up — one that likely cost Piastri another seven points — and this result will hurt the Aussie. McLaren refused to pit on a safety car on lap seven, with Max Verstappen winning the race by about the difference of a safety car to a non-safety car pit stop. This hug will go down in F1 history. Photo: X

10/106Add in losing eight points due to a harsh penalty in Brazil, a joint disqualification in Las Vegas for both Norris and Piastri, as well as the butchered strategy in Qatar on a weekend where Piastri had won everything but the main race after a massive strategy c**k up — one that likely cost Piastri another seven points — and this result will hurt the Aussie. McLaren refused to pit on a safety car on lap seven, with Max Verstappen winning the race by about the difference of a safety car to a non-safety car pit stop. This hug will go down in F1 history. Photo: X

But in a season full of ups and downs, there are plenty of what ifs and could’ve beens. What happened was that Piastri ended up third and wasn’t able to end Australia’s 45-year world championship drought. Piastri, ever the team man, said after the world championship was decided: “I think a very deserving winner. I know that every weekend I go on track, it’s going to be tough. And I think we’ve pushed each other through the last three years. I think, especially this season, (it) has been tighter than ever. So, yeah, I think he’s had a great season. Probably all three of us, but obviously, myself and Lando in the same team, in the same car, have had our ups and downs at different moments. Ultimately, I think he’s had a good season and a deserving champion.” Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

11/106But in a season full of ups and downs, there are plenty of what ifs and could’ve beens. What happened was that Piastri ended up third and wasn’t able to end Australia’s 45-year world championship drought. Piastri, ever the team man, said after the world championship was decided: “I think a very deserving winner. I know that every weekend I go on track, it’s going to be tough. And I think we’ve pushed each other through the last three years. I think, especially this season, (it) has been tighter than ever. So, yeah, I think he’s had a great season. Probably all three of us, but obviously, myself and Lando in the same team, in the same car, have had our ups and downs at different moments. Ultimately, I think he’s had a good season and a deserving champion.” Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

In a season that looked so promising, Aussies will now have to wait until next season to see if Piastri has what it takes to become our first world champion since Alan Jones. For the record, Norris was the stronger driver in qualifying — winning the season 13-11. Although you could argue that it was more like 15-all if you add Piastri’s 4-2 win in Sprint races. But on race day, there was a clear winner — Norris beating Piastri 13-9 in regular races. Even adding Piastri’s 3-2 win in Sprints, it’s a pretty resounding 16-11 win for the Brit, despite some of these being handed to him on a silver platter by the team. Photo by Zak Mauger/Getty Images

12/106In a season that looked so promising, Aussies will now have to wait until next season to see if Piastri has what it takes to become our first world champion since Alan Jones. For the record, Norris was the stronger driver in qualifying — winning the season 13-11. Although you could argue that it was more like 15-all if you add Piastri’s 4-2 win in Sprint races. But on race day, there was a clear winner — Norris beating Piastri 13-9 in regular races. Even adding Piastri’s 3-2 win in Sprints, it’s a pretty resounding 16-11 win for the Brit, despite some of these being handed to him on a silver platter by the team. Photo by Zak Mauger/Getty Images

The season started so promisingly for Piastri after he declared his McLaren had run “faultlessly” during three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

13/106The season started so promisingly for Piastri after he declared his McLaren had run “faultlessly” during three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

14/106Piastri ended the third day of pre-season testing in fourth place on the timesheets. Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP

The result in Melbourne left Oscar Piastri shattered – and with a 23-point deficit to teammate Lando Norris after just one race after a costly mistake sent him spinning down the leaderboard. While both left the track, Norris recovered to win, with Piastri back in ninth. Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty Images

15/106The result in Melbourne left Oscar Piastri shattered – and with a 23-point deficit to teammate Lando Norris after just one race after a costly mistake sent him spinning down the leaderboard. While both left the track, Norris recovered to win, with Piastri back in ninth. Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty Images

16/106Back then it was all smiles between McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at Albert Park. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

Piastri had qualified second behind Norris but the race was ruined as as an error on lap 44 saw Piastri give up second position behind Norris and falling down the leaderboard. “That is heartbreak for Oscar Piastri … his race is ruined,” Sky Sports commentator David Croft said. He eventually finished ninth. Picture: Formula 1

17/106Piastri had qualified second behind Norris but the race was ruined as as an error on lap 44 saw Piastri give up second position behind Norris and falling down the leaderboard. “That is heartbreak for Oscar Piastri … his race is ruined,” Sky Sports commentator David Croft said. He eventually finished ninth. Picture: Formula 1

Piastri was gutted by the result, which cost him the opportunity to be the first Aussie winner of the race since Alan Jones in 1980. “I feel like every lap apart from one, I drove an incredibly strong race. It’s just a shame not to have the result to show for it. I obviously don’t have anyone to blame for it but myself. I think it was probably a bit unfortunate to got stuck (on the grass) the way I did. But it was only myself that put me there.

18/106Piastri was gutted by the result, which cost him the opportunity to be the first Aussie winner of the race since Alan Jones in 1980. “I feel like every lap apart from one, I drove an incredibly strong race. It’s just a shame not to have the result to show for it. I obviously don’t have anyone to blame for it but myself. I think it was probably a bit unfortunate to got stuck (on the grass) the way I did. But it was only myself that put me there." Photo: Fox Sports

Outside of the result, it was a great weekend for Piastri as Aussie fans swarmed around their new star before the Melbourne Grand Prix. Picture: David Caird

19/106Outside of the result, it was a great weekend for Piastri as Aussie fans swarmed around their new star before the Melbourne Grand Prix. Picture: David Caird

It was a different story in the second race of the season as Oscar narrowed Norris’ lead with a 32-point weekend thanks to a race win and sprint race second in China. Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP

20/106It was a different story in the second race of the season as Oscar narrowed Norris’ lead with a 32-point weekend thanks to a race win and sprint race second in China. Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP

Lewis Hamilton took out the China sprint ahead of the young Aussie. Piastri had started in third behind Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen but moved up to the second step by the end to start off his weekend on the right foot. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

21/106Lewis Hamilton took out the China sprint ahead of the young Aussie. Piastri had started in third behind Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen but moved up to the second step by the end to start off his weekend on the right foot. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

22/106It got even better when he qualified on pole and drove a “flawless” race to notch the third win of his career. Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP

For McLaren, it was a huge result with Norris claiming second — but it also saw his lead cut from 23 points to just 10 (44-34) as Piastri showed he meant business. Photo by JADE GAO / AFP

23/106For McLaren, it was a huge result with Norris claiming second — but it also saw his lead cut from 23 points to just 10 (44-34) as Piastri showed he meant business. Photo by JADE GAO / AFP

24/106In a reminder you can only do so much, Piastri and Norris had a frustrating time at the Japanese Grand Prix. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

After Max Verstappen showed he was still a force in the driver’s championship with a strong pole, Norris had to settle for second and Piastri third at the Suzuka Circuit. Unfortunately they couldn’t improve from there as that was also the race result. Photo by Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP

25/106After Max Verstappen showed he was still a force in the driver’s championship with a strong pole, Norris had to settle for second and Piastri third at the Suzuka Circuit. Unfortunately they couldn’t improve from there as that was also the race result. Photo by Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP

While Verstappen and Norris got their elbows out, Piastri maintained a strong start to the season with yet another podium (which would become a bit of a trend). But Norris edged further ahead (62-49). Photo by Philip FONG / AFP

26/106While Verstappen and Norris got their elbows out, Piastri maintained a strong start to the season with yet another podium (which would become a bit of a trend). But Norris edged further ahead (62-49). Photo by Philip FONG / AFP

27/106Race 4 in Bahrain is where Piastri really began to show his mettle. Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

The Aussie had a lonely weekend, dominating qualifying before romping to a 15-second victory over Mercedes’ George Russell. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images

28/106The Aussie had a lonely weekend, dominating qualifying before romping to a 15-second victory over Mercedes’ George Russell. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images

29/106Norris was back in third. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

30/106We’ll never get tired of that! The result saw Piastri cut the lead again with Norris up 77-74. Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP

In Saudi Arabia, it was more of the same as Piastri claimed back-to-back wins and moved to the top of the drivers standings. Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

31/106In Saudi Arabia, it was more of the same as Piastri claimed back-to-back wins and moved to the top of the drivers standings. Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

After qualifying in second, Piastri was “ice cold” as he forced pole sitter Max Verstappen wide, only for the Red Bull star to be given a five-second penalty after he left the track an took advantage. Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP

32/106After qualifying in second, Piastri was “ice cold” as he forced pole sitter Max Verstappen wide, only for the Red Bull star to be given a five-second penalty after he left the track an took advantage. Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP

In comparison, it was a disaster for Norris, who qualified 10th after a crash in qualifying before fighting back to finish fourth. But it saw Piastri take the lead in the driver’s championship for the first time in his career, moving to 99 points ahead of Norris on 89. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

33/106In comparison, it was a disaster for Norris, who qualified 10th after a crash in qualifying before fighting back to finish fourth. But it saw Piastri take the lead in the driver’s championship for the first time in his career, moving to 99 points ahead of Norris on 89. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

Round 6 in Miami was an interesting week with Piastri qualifying second behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and ahead of Norris, only for Norris to pinch the win the sprint ahead of Piastri. Photo by Hector Vivas / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

34/106Round 6 in Miami was an interesting week with Piastri qualifying second behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and ahead of Norris, only for Norris to pinch the win the sprint ahead of Piastri. Photo by Hector Vivas / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

But despite his worst qualifying of the year where the Aussies started in fourth, he avoided the early chaos to take the race lead on lap 15 and never looked back. It was another 1-2 for McLaren with Piastri extending his lead to 131-115. Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images

35/106But despite his worst qualifying of the year where the Aussies started in fourth, he avoided the early chaos to take the race lead on lap 15 and never looked back. It was another 1-2 for McLaren with Piastri extending his lead to 131-115. Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images

In race 7 at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Piastri claimed pole yet again and it seemed like the show was just about to go on for the Aussie. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

36/106In race 7 at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Piastri claimed pole yet again and it seemed like the show was just about to go on for the Aussie. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

But a slow start saw Piastri drop down after a brilliant lunge from Max Verstappen. A strategy blunder saw the Aussie drop down further as he claimed third behind Verstappen and Norris. Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

37/106But a slow start saw Piastri drop down after a brilliant lunge from Max Verstappen. A strategy blunder saw the Aussie drop down further as he claimed third behind Verstappen and Norris. Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

38/106The boy clearly hates to lose. It also cut his lead over Norris to 146-133 Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP

The second Lando Norris claimed pole ahead of Charles Leclerc and Piastri, it was always going to be hard for anyone else to win in race 8 in Monaco. Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP

39/106The second Lando Norris claimed pole ahead of Charles Leclerc and Piastri, it was always going to be hard for anyone else to win in race 8 in Monaco. Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP

It was a procession as per usual with only Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton swapping places, finishing fourth and fifth respectively, in the top 6 drivers. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

40/106It was a procession as per usual with only Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton swapping places, finishing fourth and fifth respectively, in the top 6 drivers. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

41/106It was a team effort at McLaren but the result cut Piastri’s lead again, this time to 161-158. Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP

42/106It returned to regular programming in Spain with Piastri going from pole to a fifth win of the season. Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

It was another 1-2 for Piastri and Norris. But the fifth win of the year puts the 24-year-old in rare air as just the third Aussie to claim five wins in a season after Sir Jack Brabham in 1960 and Alan Jones 1980. Photo by Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images

43/106It was another 1-2 for Piastri and Norris. But the fifth win of the year puts the 24-year-old in rare air as just the third Aussie to claim five wins in a season after Sir Jack Brabham in 1960 and Alan Jones 1980. Photo by Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The result meant that Piastri returned to a 10 point lead – going 186-176 in the driver’s championship. Photo by Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images

44/106The result meant that Piastri returned to a 10 point lead – going 186-176 in the driver’s championship. Photo by Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Round 10 in Canada was a culmination of the competition between the two McLaren’s with Piastri coming out the better. While Piastri could only manage fourth in the race, Norris did not finish after he took on the Aussie. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

45/106Round 10 in Canada was a culmination of the competition between the two McLaren’s with Piastri coming out the better. While Piastri could only manage fourth in the race, Norris did not finish after he took on the Aussie. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

It got a bit spicy between the teammates with Norris taking a lunge around the outside of Piastri and finding the wall. Norris took responsibility for the incident, telling team radio: “I’m sorry, it’s all my bad. All my fault. Unlucky, sorry, stupid from me”. It also saw Piastri move to 198-176 — opening up his biggest buffer of the year. Photo: Fox Sports

46/106It got a bit spicy between the teammates with Norris taking a lunge around the outside of Piastri and finding the wall. Norris took responsibility for the incident, telling team radio: “I’m sorry, it’s all my bad. All my fault. Unlucky, sorry, stupid from me”. It also saw Piastri move to 198-176 — opening up his biggest buffer of the year. Photo: Fox Sports

Piastri remained at the top of the driver’s championship but Lando Norris cut into his lead with a much needed win in round 11 in Austria. Photo: AP Photo/Darko Bandic

47/106Piastri remained at the top of the driver’s championship but Lando Norris cut into his lead with a much needed win in round 11 in Austria. Photo: AP Photo/Darko Bandic

After Piastri was third in qualifying behind pole sitter Norris, the pair had their own race, finishing two seconds apart and another 17 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc in third. Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

48/106After Piastri was third in qualifying behind pole sitter Norris, the pair had their own race, finishing two seconds apart and another 17 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc in third. Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

The result trimmed Piastri’s lead again to 216-201 but the boys enjoyed another champagne shower on the top step. Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images

49/106The result trimmed Piastri’s lead again to 216-201 but the boys enjoyed another champagne shower on the top step. Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images

Round 12 at the British Grand Prix saw Piastri’s world championship lead trimmed back to single digits after the season was turned on its head yet again. Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP

50/106Round 12 at the British Grand Prix saw Piastri’s world championship lead trimmed back to single digits after the season was turned on its head yet again. Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP

There was traditional English weather (meaning it was bucketing down rain), but Piastri had taken the lead and opened up a 15-second gap when the FIA decided the track was too wet, sending out a safety car which brought all the drivers together. Piastri made a huge error though, seemingly brake checking Max Verstappen and forcing the Red Bull driver to overtake him. While this has happened multiple times in similar situations with lesser or no penalties, Piastri was slapped with a 10-second penalty. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images

51/106There was traditional English weather (meaning it was bucketing down rain), but Piastri had taken the lead and opened up a 15-second gap when the FIA decided the track was too wet, sending out a safety car which brought all the drivers together. Piastri made a huge error though, seemingly brake checking Max Verstappen and forcing the Red Bull driver to overtake him. While this has happened multiple times in similar situations with lesser or no penalties, Piastri was slapped with a 10-second penalty. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images

It was frustrating for Piastri, as he finished second to teammate Lando Norris by seven seconds. But the reaction was swift with fans calling it “absolutely insane” — although there was plenty of reaction on both sides. Even Max Verstappen, who was the main driver affected said: “I saw after the race he got a 10s penalty for it. That is also very, very extreme, 10 seconds. but oh well, I don’t make the rules.” Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

52/106It was frustrating for Piastri, as he finished second to teammate Lando Norris by seven seconds. But the reaction was swift with fans calling it “absolutely insane” — although there was plenty of reaction on both sides. Even Max Verstappen, who was the main driver affected said: “I saw after the race he got a 10s penalty for it. That is also very, very extreme, 10 seconds. but oh well, I don’t make the rules.” Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Piastri tried requesting a switch between the drivers but it fell on deaf ears. “Oscar, I know how you feel about that. Let’s talk about it once we’re out of the car,” his team said. Piastri replied: “Yep, I think I’ll get myself banned for the year if I say anything here. Thanks for the effort.” He was clearly feeling it after the result. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

53/106Piastri tried requesting a switch between the drivers but it fell on deaf ears. “Oscar, I know how you feel about that. Let’s talk about it once we’re out of the car,” his team said. Piastri replied: “Yep, I think I’ll get myself banned for the year if I say anything here. Thanks for the effort.” He was clearly feeling it after the result. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

“I thought the penalty … was pretty bad,” Piastri said after the race. “But anyway we had a quick car today, showed what I needed to prove. Just disappointing when the result you deserve gets taken from you, but that’s how it goes sometimes.” Piastri still lead’s the driver’s championship but it’s now 234-226. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

54/106“I thought the penalty … was pretty bad,” Piastri said after the race. “But anyway we had a quick car today, showed what I needed to prove. Just disappointing when the result you deserve gets taken from you, but that’s how it goes sometimes.” Piastri still lead’s the driver’s championship but it’s now 234-226. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

After the disappointment of the British Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri was back on top of the world with a commanding win in deplorable conditions at Spa in the Belgian Grand Prix, extending his lead back to 16 points in the driver’s championship. Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP

55/106After the disappointment of the British Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri was back on top of the world with a commanding win in deplorable conditions at Spa in the Belgian Grand Prix, extending his lead back to 16 points in the driver’s championship. Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP

In wet conditions, Piastri, who had finished second in the sprint race behind Max Verstappen on Saturday, qualified second behind his teammate Lando Norris for Sunday’s race. Wet weather saw the race begin under safety car but Piastri pounced almost immediately, taking a lead he never relinquished. Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

56/106In wet conditions, Piastri, who had finished second in the sprint race behind Max Verstappen on Saturday, qualified second behind his teammate Lando Norris for Sunday’s race. Wet weather saw the race begin under safety car but Piastri pounced almost immediately, taking a lead he never relinquished. Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

It wasn’t completely smooth sailing for the Aussie though who had Norris coming hard at the end of the race as both men took a one-stop strategy with Norris having the better compound. But three costly mistakes saw the Aussie claim his sixth win of the season. He was happy with the win, saying over team radio “Nicely done … nicely f***ing done”. Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

57/106It wasn’t completely smooth sailing for the Aussie though who had Norris coming hard at the end of the race as both men took a one-stop strategy with Norris having the better compound. But three costly mistakes saw the Aussie claim his sixth win of the season. He was happy with the win, saying over team radio “Nicely done … nicely f***ing done”. Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

The result saw Piastri out to a 16-point lead over Norris and 81-point lead over Max Verstappen in third one race before the summer break. Piastri was rightfully been praised for the result, which was his eighth win in Formula 1. And in a beautiful scene, his grandfather, who had travelled to Belgium to see Oscar race for the first time on foreign soil, gave him a hug after the race. Oscar then dedicated the victory to his granddad including writing his name on the winner’s champagne bottle.

58/106The result saw Piastri out to a 16-point lead over Norris and 81-point lead over Max Verstappen in third one race before the summer break. Piastri was rightfully been praised for the result, which was his eighth win in Formula 1. And in a beautiful scene, his grandfather, who had travelled to Belgium to see Oscar race for the first time on foreign soil, gave him a hug after the race. Oscar then dedicated the victory to his granddad including writing his name on the winner’s champagne bottle.

The result meant Piastri pulled level with Daniel Ricciardo for career wins. However for Ricciardo that was over 258 races and 13 years, while Piastri was at just 59 races in his third year in the sport and there are undoubtedly going to be more wins to come. He finished the season with nine wins, equal with mentor Mark Webber, while only 1980 world champion Alan Jones (12 wins) and three-time world champion Jack Brabham (14 wins) ahead on the list of Aussie Grand Prix winners. However, Oscar also stands alone as the first Aussie to win six races — and now seven — in a single season. Photo by Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

59/106The result meant Piastri pulled level with Daniel Ricciardo for career wins. However for Ricciardo that was over 258 races and 13 years, while Piastri was at just 59 races in his third year in the sport and there are undoubtedly going to be more wins to come. He finished the season with nine wins, equal with mentor Mark Webber, while only 1980 world champion Alan Jones (12 wins) and three-time world champion Jack Brabham (14 wins) ahead on the list of Aussie Grand Prix winners. However, Oscar also stands alone as the first Aussie to win six races — and now seven — in a single season. Photo by Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

From the highest highs in Belgium to yet another frustrating result that has sliced his world championship lead to nine-point, it was a hard day at the Hungarian Grand Prix in round 14 for Oscar Piastri on the last weekend before the summer break. Photo by Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP

60/106From the highest highs in Belgium to yet another frustrating result that has sliced his world championship lead to nine-point, it was a hard day at the Hungarian Grand Prix in round 14 for Oscar Piastri on the last weekend before the summer break. Photo by Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP

After starting the race in second behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Piastri had a solid start while his teammate Lando Norris dropped from third to fifth on the opening lap after an attempt to dive down the inside of the Aussie was foiled. Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images

61/106After starting the race in second behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Piastri had a solid start while his teammate Lando Norris dropped from third to fifth on the opening lap after an attempt to dive down the inside of the Aussie was foiled. Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images

In Hungary, the undercut is strong and McLaren tried the tactic with Piastri, who was 2.7 seconds behind Leclerc on the 19th lap as he went for what everyone expected was a two-stopper on a tough track to overtake. Well back after the early issue, Norris shunned the conventional wisdom, instead going for a one-stopper. It led to Piastri chasing down his teammate on the final laps. However, a late lock up saw the Brit hang on to the win. Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images

62/106In Hungary, the undercut is strong and McLaren tried the tactic with Piastri, who was 2.7 seconds behind Leclerc on the 19th lap as he went for what everyone expected was a two-stopper on a tough track to overtake. Well back after the early issue, Norris shunned the conventional wisdom, instead going for a one-stopper. It led to Piastri chasing down his teammate on the final laps. However, a late lock up saw the Brit hang on to the win. Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images

Piastri was far from thrilled by the result, which cut his lead in the driver’s championship to just nine points before the three week break ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix on the weekend of August 29-31. “I don’t know if trying to undercut Leclerc was the right call in the end but we can go through that after,” Piastri said. It was yet another race that saw Piastri drop points which he likely shouldn’t have under the “Papaya rules”. Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images

63/106Piastri was far from thrilled by the result, which cut his lead in the driver’s championship to just nine points before the three week break ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix on the weekend of August 29-31. “I don’t know if trying to undercut Leclerc was the right call in the end but we can go through that after,” Piastri said. It was yet another race that saw Piastri drop points which he likely shouldn’t have under the “Papaya rules”. Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images

However, former F1 test driver Sam Bird told the BBC Chequered Flag podcast that after going for the undercut early, the result was basically decided. Piastri was heard early in the race complaining about his tyres and going for the two-stop strategy, which left the door open for Norris. “Looking at that first stop Piastri did, he was 2.7 seconds back from Charles Leclerc and he covered the next lap,” Bird said. “You can’t gain 2.7 seconds in one lap in an F1 car, so I don’t think the undercut was really going to work on Oscar Piastri’s side given the fact that Leclerc was going to cover him the very next lap.” Photo: AP Photo/Denes Erdos

64/106However, former F1 test driver Sam Bird told the BBC Chequered Flag podcast that after going for the undercut early, the result was basically decided. Piastri was heard early in the race complaining about his tyres and going for the two-stop strategy, which left the door open for Norris. “Looking at that first stop Piastri did, he was 2.7 seconds back from Charles Leclerc and he covered the next lap,” Bird said. “You can’t gain 2.7 seconds in one lap in an F1 car, so I don’t think the undercut was really going to work on Oscar Piastri’s side given the fact that Leclerc was going to cover him the very next lap.” Photo: AP Photo/Denes Erdos

While the McLaren boys were happy enough, there’s a potentially ugly bust up brewing as the team will have to choose at some point which driver they want to back for the world championship as it appears to be McLaren’s to lose. McLaren boss Zak Brown sat on the fence last week, saying: “I think it’s going to be a coin toss every weekend.” But there's only so long they can do that for with 10 rounds left and their drivers seemingly going tit-for-tat for victories, it’s set to only get more contentious. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

65/106While the McLaren boys were happy enough, there’s a potentially ugly bust up brewing as the team will have to choose at some point which driver they want to back for the world championship as it appears to be McLaren’s to lose. McLaren boss Zak Brown sat on the fence last week, saying: “I think it’s going to be a coin toss every weekend.” But there's only so long they can do that for with 10 rounds left and their drivers seemingly going tit-for-tat for victories, it’s set to only get more contentious. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

Back from the summer break, it looked like Piastri had finally broken the back of his teammate and closest rival Lando Norris when the Brit was forced to retire with 10 laps left in the race after smoke began to fill the cockpit at the Dutch Grand Prix. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

66/106Back from the summer break, it looked like Piastri had finally broken the back of his teammate and closest rival Lando Norris when the Brit was forced to retire with 10 laps left in the race after smoke began to fill the cockpit at the Dutch Grand Prix. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

Piastri had started on pole and was out front from start to finish. But it was agony for Norris, who was the only one who looked close to chasing down his McLaren teammate and instead took a brutal blow to his championship hopes.

67/106Piastri had started on pole and was out front from start to finish. But it was agony for Norris, who was the only one who looked close to chasing down his McLaren teammate and instead took a brutal blow to his championship hopes.

It was a huge result for Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, who finished third for his first career podium, and the Aussie made it special. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

68/106It was a huge result for Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, who finished third for his first career podium, and the Aussie made it special. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

The result saw Piastri open a 34-point lead over Norris in the championship race — meaning the Aussie could DNF a race that Norris won and he’d still be in pole position for the world championship. Photo by James Sutton/Getty Images

69/106The result saw Piastri open a 34-point lead over Norris in the championship race — meaning the Aussie could DNF a race that Norris won and he’d still be in pole position for the world championship. Photo by James Sutton/Getty Images

You’d think a P2 and P3 would be a great thing for McLaren but round 16 at Italian Grand Prix boiled over into farce when Oscar Piastri was forced to give up his position to teammate and only true title rival Lando Norris in a team order drama that has stolen all the headlines. It was the beginning of the end for the Aussie’s charge. Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images

70/106You’d think a P2 and P3 would be a great thing for McLaren but round 16 at Italian Grand Prix boiled over into farce when Oscar Piastri was forced to give up his position to teammate and only true title rival Lando Norris in a team order drama that has stolen all the headlines. It was the beginning of the end for the Aussie’s charge. Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images

It’s strange considering the only driver outside the McLaren’s who could make a run — Max Verstappen — claimed a rare win this season. For the record, at this point he’s still 104 points behind championship leader Piastri, but a few mechanical issues for the McLaren’s could make things interestings. Norris is also 31 points back. Photo by Philippe Lopez / AFP

71/106It’s strange considering the only driver outside the McLaren’s who could make a run — Max Verstappen — claimed a rare win this season. For the record, at this point he’s still 104 points behind championship leader Piastri, but a few mechanical issues for the McLaren’s could make things interestings. Norris is also 31 points back. Photo by Philippe Lopez / AFP

In what was the fastest race in F1 history, the drivers looked to be finishing as they started with Verstappen ahead of Norris and then Piastri, until the pit stop. After pitting Piastri first to cover off Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, which at 1.91 seconds was a record fast pit, Norris had a slow pit stop because of a wheel gun issue, meaning he came out of the pits behind Piastri. But McLaren made him swap, which Piastri was far from happy about, as you could read above. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

72/106In what was the fastest race in F1 history, the drivers looked to be finishing as they started with Verstappen ahead of Norris and then Piastri, until the pit stop. After pitting Piastri first to cover off Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, which at 1.91 seconds was a record fast pit, Norris had a slow pit stop because of a wheel gun issue, meaning he came out of the pits behind Piastri. But McLaren made him swap, which Piastri was far from happy about, as you could read above. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

Team principal Andrea Stella said after the race: “The pit stop situation is not only a matter of fairness, it’s a matter of consistency with our principles. And however the championship goes, what’s important is that it runs within the principles and the racing values that we have, and that we have created together with our drivers. The situation whereby we stopped the drivers is not only related to the pit stop, it’s also related to the fact that we wanted to sequence the pit stop of the two cars by stopping Oscar first and then Lando.” He added: “We thought it was absolutely the right thing to go back to the situation, pre-existing the pit stop, and then let the guys race.” Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images.

73/106Team principal Andrea Stella said after the race: “The pit stop situation is not only a matter of fairness, it’s a matter of consistency with our principles. And however the championship goes, what’s important is that it runs within the principles and the racing values that we have, and that we have created together with our drivers. The situation whereby we stopped the drivers is not only related to the pit stop, it’s also related to the fact that we wanted to sequence the pit stop of the two cars by stopping Oscar first and then Lando.” He added: “We thought it was absolutely the right thing to go back to the situation, pre-existing the pit stop, and then let the guys race.” Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images.

But while Piastri publicly brushed off the decision under the infamous “Papaya rules”, the F1 world has gone wild over the move with plenty believing the team is headed for an ugly moment at some point now that the precedent has been sent. Motorsport.com believes it may have opened “Pandora’s box” with the decision. “Once you decide that some mistakes are part of racing and some are not, once you make fairness conditional, the lid is off – and the questions will keep coming back.” Even Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff weighed in: “What if the team does another mistake and it’s not a pit stop … (do you) switch them around? But then equally, because of a team mistake, making a driver that is trying to catch up lose the points is not fair either. So I think we are going to get our response of whether that was right today towards the end of the season when it heats up.” Photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images

74/106But while Piastri publicly brushed off the decision under the infamous “Papaya rules”, the F1 world has gone wild over the move with plenty believing the team is headed for an ugly moment at some point now that the precedent has been sent. Motorsport.com believes it may have opened “Pandora’s box” with the decision. “Once you decide that some mistakes are part of racing and some are not, once you make fairness conditional, the lid is off – and the questions will keep coming back.” Even Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff weighed in: “What if the team does another mistake and it’s not a pit stop … (do you) switch them around? But then equally, because of a team mistake, making a driver that is trying to catch up lose the points is not fair either. So I think we are going to get our response of whether that was right today towards the end of the season when it heats up.” Photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images

(L-R): Racing driver David Coulthard with Mika Hakkinen and Heinz-Harald Frentzen on the podium at the Australian Grand Prix in 1998. In The Race, Matt Beer and Scott Mitchell-Malm referred back to the 1998 season when Mika Hakkinen was handed the first two wins of the season after team orders for David Coulthard. This included in Melbourne when Hakkinen pitted after mishearing a radio message and pitting. In the end it didn’t matter too much as Hakkinen (100 points) went on to win the world title well ahead of Michael Schumacher (86 points) and Coulthard (56 points) in third. Even if he had finished second in both those races to Coulthard, Hakkinen still would have won by six points. But the report says that it added to the “permanent unease” felt by Coulthard about how the team felt about him. Nearly 30 years later, McLaren have made a rod for their back in a much more competitive race for the title. The story argues “McLaren has put a huge amount of pressure on itself for the rest of this F1 season and now it really cannot afford to make any mistakes with either Norris or Piastri in the title run-in.”

75/106(L-R): Racing driver David Coulthard with Mika Hakkinen and Heinz-Harald Frentzen on the podium at the Australian Grand Prix in 1998. In The Race, Matt Beer and Scott Mitchell-Malm referred back to the 1998 season when Mika Hakkinen was handed the first two wins of the season after team orders for David Coulthard. This included in Melbourne when Hakkinen pitted after mishearing a radio message and pitting. In the end it didn’t matter too much as Hakkinen (100 points) went on to win the world title well ahead of Michael Schumacher (86 points) and Coulthard (56 points) in third. Even if he had finished second in both those races to Coulthard, Hakkinen still would have won by six points. But the report says that it added to the “permanent unease” felt by Coulthard about how the team felt about him. Nearly 30 years later, McLaren have made a rod for their back in a much more competitive race for the title. The story argues “McLaren has put a huge amount of pressure on itself for the rest of this F1 season and now it really cannot afford to make any mistakes with either Norris or Piastri in the title run-in.”

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has flipped the 2025 F1 season on its head after a near disastrous performance from championship leader Oscar Piastri. Piastri’s crash in qualifying saw him start the race in 9th, before he jumped the start and dropped back to last-place from lights out. It went from bad to worse when his record of finishing 44-consecutive races was wiped out as he crashed into the board on turn 5. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

76/106The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has flipped the 2025 F1 season on its head after a near disastrous performance from championship leader Oscar Piastri. Piastri’s crash in qualifying saw him start the race in 9th, before he jumped the start and dropped back to last-place from lights out. It went from bad to worse when his record of finishing 44-consecutive races was wiped out as he crashed into the board on turn 5. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

It wasn’t a complete disaster as Piastri’s 31 point lead in the driver’s championship was cut by just six points with teammate and main championship rival Lando Norris getting just six points from finishing seventh. In a surprising twist, Sky Sports’ Anthony Davidson said it was Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg who caused the crash. “What I believe happens here is that he’s got Hulkenberg in front of him, trying to make a move around the outside of one of the Haas drivers. I think it goads Piastri into thinking, ‘That’s where I can brake’ … but Hulkenberg runs wide himself, very wide actually. To give Oscar some credit here and some let-off, I think he’s just following in [the path of] another driver that is also going quite deep. You judge the gap between yourself and the other car, and I think that’s what’s caught him out here and why he’s ultimately ended up in the barriers. I think if the car in front of him, Hulkenberg, had been a bit easier on the brakes, naturally, it would have made Oscar brake a bit earlier as well.” However, Davidson admitted he was “giving him excuses.” Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

77/106It wasn’t a complete disaster as Piastri’s 31 point lead in the driver’s championship was cut by just six points with teammate and main championship rival Lando Norris getting just six points from finishing seventh. In a surprising twist, Sky Sports’ Anthony Davidson said it was Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg who caused the crash. “What I believe happens here is that he’s got Hulkenberg in front of him, trying to make a move around the outside of one of the Haas drivers. I think it goads Piastri into thinking, ‘That’s where I can brake’ … but Hulkenberg runs wide himself, very wide actually. To give Oscar some credit here and some let-off, I think he’s just following in [the path of] another driver that is also going quite deep. You judge the gap between yourself and the other car, and I think that’s what’s caught him out here and why he’s ultimately ended up in the barriers. I think if the car in front of him, Hulkenberg, had been a bit easier on the brakes, naturally, it would have made Oscar brake a bit earlier as well.” However, Davidson admitted he was “giving him excuses.” Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

78/106Nico Hulkenberg was the unlikely culprit accused of ‘goading’ Oscar Piastri. Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images.

The heat appeared to be getting to Norris, who lost a golden opportunity, before taking a swipe at anyone who suggested it was an opportunity lost. “I don’t know why everyone says that. I did the best I could yesterday and best I could today. Opportunities are there every weekend, every race I didn’t win was an opportunity missed so of course today I wanted more, seventh was not a good result but I couldn’t do anything more today.” Photo: AP Photo/Darko Bandic

79/106The heat appeared to be getting to Norris, who lost a golden opportunity, before taking a swipe at anyone who suggested it was an opportunity lost. “I don’t know why everyone says that. I did the best I could yesterday and best I could today. Opportunities are there every weekend, every race I didn’t win was an opportunity missed so of course today I wanted more, seventh was not a good result but I couldn’t do anything more today.” Photo: AP Photo/Darko Bandic

But while it was a horror weekend for McLaren, arguably the bigger concern is coming from third. Although basically beating Ferrari will wrap up the constructors title for the papaya, four-time world champion Max Verstappen is coming home strong. His win in Baku cut Norris’ gap in second to 44 points, while he’s 69 points behind Piastri for the driver’s championship. Two wins in a row have rocketed Verstappen back into contention — and Sky’s Ted Kravitz said it’s exactly where he wants to be. Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP

80/106But while it was a horror weekend for McLaren, arguably the bigger concern is coming from third. Although basically beating Ferrari will wrap up the constructors title for the papaya, four-time world champion Max Verstappen is coming home strong. His win in Baku cut Norris’ gap in second to 44 points, while he’s 69 points behind Piastri for the driver’s championship. Two wins in a row have rocketed Verstappen back into contention — and Sky’s Ted Kravitz said it’s exactly where he wants to be. Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP

“He knows he’s back in it because he’s got the car, that’s the thing,” Kravitz said on Sky’s The F1 Show. “Had he had the car all along, his plan and Red Bull’s plan was always to stay within touching distance of the two McLarens and then wait until precisely this moment in the season when the pressure is on, crazy races, unusual tracks like Baku, like Singapore, like Qatar, like Austin, like Las Vegas. And then pounce like the lion he is on the two championship-wise kittens, who haven’t actually been in contention for a world championship at the sharp end of a season, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.” Kravitz said it was the car that was holding him back earlier in the season, but now he’s back in touching distance and suddenly the pressure is right back on McLaren. Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP

81/106“He knows he’s back in it because he’s got the car, that’s the thing,” Kravitz said on Sky’s The F1 Show. “Had he had the car all along, his plan and Red Bull’s plan was always to stay within touching distance of the two McLarens and then wait until precisely this moment in the season when the pressure is on, crazy races, unusual tracks like Baku, like Singapore, like Qatar, like Austin, like Las Vegas. And then pounce like the lion he is on the two championship-wise kittens, who haven’t actually been in contention for a world championship at the sharp end of a season, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.” Kravitz said it was the car that was holding him back earlier in the season, but now he’s back in touching distance and suddenly the pressure is right back on McLaren. Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP

The Singapore Grand Prix was nothing to write home about by Norris or Piastri, McLaren did seal a second straight constructor’s championship, despite a third and fourth place finish respectively. With Max Verstappen coming home strongly, the McLaren teammates are starting to feel the pressure. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images

82/106The Singapore Grand Prix was nothing to write home about by Norris or Piastri, McLaren did seal a second straight constructor’s championship, despite a third and fourth place finish respectively. With Max Verstappen coming home strongly, the McLaren teammates are starting to feel the pressure. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images

83/106Thankfully for both men were thankful for Mercedes’ George Russell, who claimed the win ahead of Max Verstappen. Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP

The Aussie was clearly unimpressed as his championship lead was cut to 22 points with six races remaining. Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP

84/106The Aussie was clearly unimpressed as his championship lead was cut to 22 points with six races remaining. Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP

It didn’t get much better in Austin with Max Verstappen continuing his charge within striking distance of the world championship. Verstappen climbed seven points closer to Norris, finishing with the win ahead of the McLaren star. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

85/106It didn’t get much better in Austin with Max Verstappen continuing his charge within striking distance of the world championship. Verstappen climbed seven points closer to Norris, finishing with the win ahead of the McLaren star. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

But it also put Norris right in the window to take the lead in the driver’s championship from Oscar Piastri, moving with 14 points after the Aussie had a shocker by his own standards, finishing fifth — 22 seconds behind his teammate. Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images

86/106But it also put Norris right in the window to take the lead in the driver’s championship from Oscar Piastri, moving with 14 points after the Aussie had a shocker by his own standards, finishing fifth — 22 seconds behind his teammate. Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images

With his teammate breathing right down his neck, the pair crashed in the sprint race in an incident that was deemed a racing incident. But with Verstappen winning, and creeping eight points closer before claiming the US Grand Prix win, blame was heaped on Piastri for the incident, which saw him trying to cut under his teammate when he was hit by Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg. While Norris and McLaren bosses didn’t blame Piastri, Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle did. “The Piastri crash in turn one was unfortunate, but I believe he was predominantly to blame,” Brundle wrote. “The crying shame for McLaren and Norris is that the now two-wheeling Piastri broke his rear wheel along with his own front suspension. With Verstappen out front it was the worst-case scenario for them.” Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

87/106With his teammate breathing right down his neck, the pair crashed in the sprint race in an incident that was deemed a racing incident. But with Verstappen winning, and creeping eight points closer before claiming the US Grand Prix win, blame was heaped on Piastri for the incident, which saw him trying to cut under his teammate when he was hit by Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg. While Norris and McLaren bosses didn’t blame Piastri, Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle did. “The Piastri crash in turn one was unfortunate, but I believe he was predominantly to blame,” Brundle wrote. “The crying shame for McLaren and Norris is that the now two-wheeling Piastri broke his rear wheel along with his own front suspension. With Verstappen out front it was the worst-case scenario for them.” Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The incident made it a mouth-watering final five races with just 14 points between Piastri and Norris with Verstappen ready to pounce if either make a mistake. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

88/106The incident made it a mouth-watering final five races with just 14 points between Piastri and Norris with Verstappen ready to pounce if either make a mistake. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

Aussie Oscar Piastri’s reign at the top of the F1 world championship came to a brutal end after a fifth-placed finish at the 20th round of the season at the Mexican Grand Prix. The Aussie, who held a slender 14 point lead coming into the weekend, fought back from a disastrous opening lap to finish just behind Haas’ Oliver Bearman to claim 10 points for the weekend. But with teammate Lando Norris claiming the 25 points for winning ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in second and third respectively, Piastri has dropped one point behind Norris in the championship fight with four races to go. He had held the championship lead for 15 races dating back to Saudi Arabia in April. Photo by Alfredo ESTRELLA / POOL / AFP

89/106Aussie Oscar Piastri’s reign at the top of the F1 world championship came to a brutal end after a fifth-placed finish at the 20th round of the season at the Mexican Grand Prix. The Aussie, who held a slender 14 point lead coming into the weekend, fought back from a disastrous opening lap to finish just behind Haas’ Oliver Bearman to claim 10 points for the weekend. But with teammate Lando Norris claiming the 25 points for winning ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in second and third respectively, Piastri has dropped one point behind Norris in the championship fight with four races to go. He had held the championship lead for 15 races dating back to Saudi Arabia in April. Photo by Alfredo ESTRELLA / POOL / AFP

90/106Lando didn’t give up the lead from there. Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images

Piastri was stuck in battles throughout the day — taking around 10 laps to get past Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda before being in battles with Mercedes’ George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. He seemed to run out of laps to beat Haas’ Oliver Bearman at the end of the race. Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images

91/106Piastri was stuck in battles throughout the day — taking around 10 laps to get past Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda before being in battles with Mercedes’ George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. He seemed to run out of laps to beat Haas’ Oliver Bearman at the end of the race. Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images

Piastri, who had missed the podium just twice in the opening 16 rounds, has now had a DNF, fourth, fifth and fifth in his last four races. And he is now at risk of dropping to third in the championship race with Verstappen now 35 points further back. Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images

92/106Piastri, who had missed the podium just twice in the opening 16 rounds, has now had a DNF, fourth, fifth and fifth in his last four races. And he is now at risk of dropping to third in the championship race with Verstappen now 35 points further back. Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images

Although the season is certainly not over for Piastri, he’ll have to find something quickly. Piastri himself revealed that he’d been the reason for his struggles as he tries to reconnect with the car, despite bouncing back from qualifying eighth, starting seventh (due to Carlos Sainz’ carry-over penalty from Singapore) and ultimately finished right in Bearman’s mirrors. “Yesterday, it became obvious after the (qualifying) session that there were a few things I needed to change pretty majorly about how I was driving,” Piastri said. “Today was about trying to limit the damage and trying to learn some things. If I made some progress with that then I’m happy.” Photo by Alfredo ESTRELLA / POOL / AFP

93/106Although the season is certainly not over for Piastri, he’ll have to find something quickly. Piastri himself revealed that he’d been the reason for his struggles as he tries to reconnect with the car, despite bouncing back from qualifying eighth, starting seventh (due to Carlos Sainz’ carry-over penalty from Singapore) and ultimately finished right in Bearman’s mirrors. “Yesterday, it became obvious after the (qualifying) session that there were a few things I needed to change pretty majorly about how I was driving,” Piastri said. “Today was about trying to limit the damage and trying to learn some things. If I made some progress with that then I’m happy.” Photo by Alfredo ESTRELLA / POOL / AFP

As if it wasn’t already tense enough in the garage, the McLaren duo are separated by just one point. Head-to-head, the teammates have 10 qualifying wins each, while Norris is up 12-8 over Piastri in races with the Brit having finished ahead of the Aussie in the last five races. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

94/106As if it wasn’t already tense enough in the garage, the McLaren duo are separated by just one point. Head-to-head, the teammates have 10 qualifying wins each, while Norris is up 12-8 over Piastri in races with the Brit having finished ahead of the Aussie in the last five races. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

Round 21 in Brazil saw Norris extend his lead by 23 points over the weekend with Oscar DNFing in the sprint race and fifth in the race to drop further behind in the championship race. It saw Norris out to a 24-point lead in the championship. Photo by Miguel SCHINCARIOL / AFP

95/106Round 21 in Brazil saw Norris extend his lead by 23 points over the weekend with Oscar DNFing in the sprint race and fifth in the race to drop further behind in the championship race. It saw Norris out to a 24-point lead in the championship. Photo by Miguel SCHINCARIOL / AFP

It was a tough weekend with Piastri after he slid out after hitting a patch of water kicked up by Norris who won the sprint. Photo by Miguel SCHINCARIOL / AFP

96/106It was a tough weekend with Piastri after he slid out after hitting a patch of water kicked up by Norris who won the sprint. Photo by Miguel SCHINCARIOL / AFP

In the race, Piastri was also given a 10-second penalty — dropping him from second to fifth. It was another eight point swing against the Aussie. But the rest of the F1 world appeared to believe the penalty was way too harsh with a belief young Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli had turned in on the Aussie. Even Leclerc, who was taken out said after the race. “I do agree we have a rulebook, and I think the stewards are always trying to do their best to look at the rulebook and to try and understand who is the one to blame,

97/106In the race, Piastri was also given a 10-second penalty — dropping him from second to fifth. It was another eight point swing against the Aussie. But the rest of the F1 world appeared to believe the penalty was way too harsh with a belief young Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli had turned in on the Aussie. Even Leclerc, who was taken out said after the race. “I do agree we have a rulebook, and I think the stewards are always trying to do their best to look at the rulebook and to try and understand who is the one to blame," he said. “In this case I really think Kimi knew and was aware that Oscar was on the inside. Yes, he was not side-by-side which is the way it’s written in the rulebook, but you cannot really do a corner like nobody is on the inside if someone is on the inside, no matter how far he is. So for me it’s a bit more of a 50-50 blame with Kimi and Oscar – I don’t think Oscar deserved all the blame there. But anyway, that doesn’t matter for me – it’s the end of the race which is very frustrating.” Photo: F1

Las Vegas in round 21 really brought Max Verstappen back into the fold after both Norris and Piastri were disqualified from the race. It could be seen as good fortune for Piastri, who finished fourth behind Norris in second and would have been a six-point advantage to Norris in the championship. Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images

98/106Las Vegas in round 21 really brought Max Verstappen back into the fold after both Norris and Piastri were disqualified from the race. It could be seen as good fortune for Piastri, who finished fourth behind Norris in second and would have been a six-point advantage to Norris in the championship. Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images

the FIA confirmed both McLaren cars were deemed to have illegal rear skid wear, less than the allowed 9mm off the plank on the underneath of the car. The measurements on Norris’ car were 8.88mm on the right-hand side front and 8.93mm on the right-hand side rear. While Piastri’s was 8.96mm on left-hand side front and 8.74mm on right-hand side front. “During the race, both cars experienced unexpected, high levels of porpoising not seen in the practice sessions, which led to excessive contact with the ground,

99/106the FIA confirmed both McLaren cars were deemed to have illegal rear skid wear, less than the allowed 9mm off the plank on the underneath of the car. The measurements on Norris’ car were 8.88mm on the right-hand side front and 8.93mm on the right-hand side rear. While Piastri’s was 8.96mm on left-hand side front and 8.74mm on right-hand side front. “During the race, both cars experienced unexpected, high levels of porpoising not seen in the practice sessions, which led to excessive contact with the ground," Stella said in a statement. Photo: Reddit

It meant that Verstappen had picked up 25 points and moved equal with Piastri on points, 24 behind Norris. Photo by Chris Graythen / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

100/106It meant that Verstappen had picked up 25 points and moved equal with Piastri on points, 24 behind Norris. Photo by Chris Graythen / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

It’s hard to call second place a disaster but that’s exactly what it was for Piastri in the penultimate weekend in Qatar. Having dominated the weekend with a sprint race win and pole position, Piastri had to settle for second when McLaren made a major blunder, refusing to pit under the safety car on the seventh lap. It was right in the pit window for a two-stop race but McLaren didn’t pit — and the rest of the field did. Photo: AP Photo/Darko Bandic

101/106It’s hard to call second place a disaster but that’s exactly what it was for Piastri in the penultimate weekend in Qatar. Having dominated the weekend with a sprint race win and pole position, Piastri had to settle for second when McLaren made a major blunder, refusing to pit under the safety car on the seventh lap. It was right in the pit window for a two-stop race but McLaren didn’t pit — and the rest of the field did. Photo: AP Photo/Darko Bandic

This says it all for Piastri, who barely wanted to celebrate the second place which meant he needed to win and hope Norris finished lower than sixth to win the F1 driver’s championship. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

102/106This says it all for Piastri, who barely wanted to celebrate the second place which meant he needed to win and hope Norris finished lower than sixth to win the F1 driver’s championship. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

But it wasn’t to be as Norris qualified second and then cruised in third to his first world championship. Piastri may have got second, but he finished third overall, having gone a hard tyre strategy in the hopes of a mid-race safety car putting his teammate in traffic and giving him a free safety car to chase down Verstappen. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

103/106But it wasn’t to be as Norris qualified second and then cruised in third to his first world championship. Piastri may have got second, but he finished third overall, having gone a hard tyre strategy in the hopes of a mid-race safety car putting his teammate in traffic and giving him a free safety car to chase down Verstappen. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

104/106Oscar did hug Zak — maybe it’s not all bad blood under the bridge. Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

It was never going to be the warmest room for the new world champion with the men he’d just beat for the title but some fans were quick to point out they were getting frostbite from the icy reception when Norris made the driver's room. Photo: Fox Sports

105/106It was never going to be the warmest room for the new world champion with the men he’d just beat for the title but some fans were quick to point out they were getting frostbite from the icy reception when Norris made the driver's room. Photo: Fox Sports

106/106So it wasn’t to be for Oscar Piastri in 2025 — but there’s always 2026. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

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