Piastri: This year is a little more relaxed, but I miss the stress of a title fight

Oscar Piastri is enduring the toughest season of his short Formula 1 career. It did not look at all bad at first, but the Australian is now a shadow of his former self. Oscar has plenty of hard work ahead of him in the coming months.

Piastri did not even make the start in Australia or China, but then took podium finishes in Japan, where he would probably have won but for an unfortunately timed safety car, and Miami. That, however, was as good as it got. The Australian currently sits seventh in the standings with no realistic prospect of moving up, as he trails team-mate Lando Norris by a huge 94 points.

The striking statistics do not end there. Looking at the points scored by each driver since last year’s Dutch Grand Prix, when Lando Norris retired with a mechanical failure and Piastri claimed his most recent victory, Oscar still ranks seventh. That means that over the past fourteen months, he has lost a title fight in which he had been very well placed and scored fewer points than any other driver at the top teams except Isack Hadjar.

Asked whether he was disappointed not to have fought for the title this year, Piastri initially gave a non-committal answer before admitting that he was. “Yes and no,” the Australian began. “I want to be in a championship fight every year if I can be, but also, it’s definitely a bit more relaxed this year. Obviously, we’re not wanting to be in this position, but there’s not quite the same stress.”

“But that stress that you have in a championship fight is the feeling you want, because it means you’re fighting for something that is what your goal is. I am missing that feeling this year for sure,” Piastri eventually admitted.

Oscar can expect to come under increasing media scrutiny. In recent days, he has made further changes to his management team and parted ways with Mark and Ann Webber for good. Having already moved the former Red Bull driver into the background earlier this year, he has now ended their working relationship entirely. The first move prompted questions about whether Piastri was happy with how Webber had represented him during the intense title battle. The second decision sparked the first speculation over a potential move.

If Oscar’s performances do not improve next season, questions can be expected over whether McLaren might opt for a change. Piastri himself now makes no secret of the fact that he has not performed this year as he did in the previous two seasons. “It wasn’t that easy to drive, and it’s still not been easy to drive, even now,” said the nine-time grand prix winner.

“It took us a while to understand exactly what needed to change, and then trying to actually change it is tough. But we’re making progress with it slowly,” said Piastri.

Although his final championship position is settled, Oscar cannot look forward to a relaxed end to the season. McLaren is determined not to slip to fourth as the defending constructors’ champion. However, that is where it currently sits, seventeen points behind Red Bull. Piastri’s weaker performances have played a major part in that.

“Just keep learning and ultimately try and beat Red Bull in the constructors’ championship. That’s the big thing. It’s not going to be an easy task for sure, but I think it’s possible. I think the car took a step forward this weekend, so hopefully that keeps going,” said Piastri.