Piastri Admits He Must “Tidy Up” as F1 Title Fight Slips Toward Norris

Oscar Piastri has admitted that there are areas of his driving he must “tidy up” if he wants to keep his Formula 1 world championship hopes alive.

For much of the season, Piastri led the drivers’ standings, but his form dipped after the summer break. Since the Dutch Grand Prix, he has not finished ahead of McLaren team-mate Lando Norris. That streak has allowed Norris to seize control of the title hunt, and he now holds a 24-point advantage with only two rounds remaining. The gap would be even larger if not for McLaren’s double disqualification at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Speaking after the Vegas race, Piastri acknowledged that both external factors and his own errors have played roles in his recent struggles.

Piastri told media, “Sometimes all you can do is laugh and try and find the silver lining in things. Again, I think the pace in clean air was good, and there have been things out of my control that haven’t gone well recently, but there have also been things in my control that haven’t gone well. And I think that race was a combination of both. So there’s things I need to tidy up.”

He added, “But I think there have been some good positives from the last two weekends as well; the results have just not really gone to plan.”

Piastri arrives at the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend looking to reignite his championship push. However, he now has Max Verstappen level with him on points after the Dutchman claimed victory in Las Vegas.

Piastri has reason for optimism at the Lusail International Circuit. He has finished on the podium at each of his previous visits, making Qatar one of his strongest venues on the calendar.

From F1 news to tech, history to opinions, F1 Chronicle has a free Substack. To deliver the stories you want straight to your inbox, click here.

For more F1 news and videos, follow us on Microsoft Start.

New to Formula 1? Check out our Glossary of F1 Terms, and our Beginners Guide to Formula 1 to fast-track your F1 knowledge