Oscar Piastri has dropped to second place in the Formula 1 title race after Lando Norris claimed victory at the Mexican Grand Prix. Despite losing the lead, Piastri’s fifth-place finish was a decent result, considering how his qualifying went.
Norris cruised to victory by more than 30 seconds, highlighting just how strong McLaren are right now. The 15-point swing puts him one ahead of Piastri with four races remaining.
Piastri had been up by 34 points after his win in Zandvoort, but that gap has disappeared over the past five rounds. Although he did not have the cleanest of races, a bold move on George Russell later on helped him minimise the damage and stay within reach of Norris.
After a sluggish start saw him lose places off the line, Piastri managed to claw back ground throughout the race. He moved ahead of Lewis Hamilton due to a penalty, jumped Kimi Antonelli during pit stops and then pulled off a decisive pass on Russell. Without a late virtual safety car that played into Oliver Bearman’s hands, he might have finished fourth.
David Croft highlights McLaren’s unique celebration after Oscar Piastri pit stop
McLaren’s recent issues with slow pit stops have affected both their drivers. Piastri lost time in Singapore, and Norris had similar problems in Italy, Azerbaijan and the USA.
But this time, things went better for the team. McLaren switched to a two-stop strategy and called Piastri in early to try and get ahead of Antonelli.
Surprised to find the Italian pit directly ahead, a battle ensued between the mechanics. David Croft, Sky Sports commentator, observed a moment of celebration when the Australian emerged in front of the Mercedes driver.
“This had better be a fast stop, and it was!
“Pat on the back from the mechanics as the McLaren roared off. Oscar Piastri has got ahead of Kimi Antonelli, and they did it in the pits. Well done to McLaren, that was a great stop!
“I’m sure there was a mechanic [who] just gave a pat on the engine cover or the roll hoop there as off the car went.”
Oscar Piastri admits to a ‘strange’ issue he is having at McLaren
Social media criticism of the McLaren pit crew has grown recently, with fans frustrated by slow stops costing the team valuable time. So it made sense that there was some satisfaction after they pulled off a clean one when it mattered.
Piastri did not say anything over the radio following qualifying, which may have been a sign he was feeling the pressure.
After the race, he told Sky Sports he was in a ‘strange’ situation, noting that his usual driving style was not as effective as it had been earlier in the year.
“Obviously, when your teammate wins the race, finishing fifth is nothing that extravagant,” he began by saying.
“I’ve just had to drive very differently the last couple of weekends – or I’ve not driven differently when I should have.
“I think that’s been a little bit strange to get my head around because I’ve been driving exactly the same as I have all year. It’s just the last couple of weekends the car or the tyres or something required quite a different way of driving. I’ve just not really gone to that.”
“I’ve tried to change it up a bit today and once we analyse if it’s effective or not that will hopefully help see some progress.
“The car’s obviously not changed for a while so it’s nothing to do with the car. Given how the pace has differentiated, clearly Lando has found it easier to dial into that and I haven’t.
“It’s important to remember the other 19 races and the way I’ve been driving has been working pretty well. It’s about adding some tools to the toolbox, rather than reinventing myself.”
Still, Piastri maintains a 34-point lead over Max Verstappen, who finished third on Sunday.
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