Oscar Piastri has had a tough few weeks in his fight for the Formula 1 title. Not long ago, he was leading the championship, but now he is eleven points behind his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. In the last five races, Norris has scored more points every time.

At the Mexico City Grand Prix, Piastri was six tenths of a second slower than Norris in qualifying, which was the biggest gap between any teammates on the grid that weekend. During the race, he finished fifth while Norris won, showing just how much the momentum has changed.

Piastri said after the race that he was still trying to understand why he is struggling, but he felt he had learned some useful things. “I think we found some positives,” he said. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella agreed, saying that the team had made good progress in Mexico. “Even if Oscar lost some points, he learned a lot,” Stella said, quoted by RacingNews365. “That’s an investment that will help him be more competitive in the final part of the season.”

There have been rumours that McLaren might be favouring Norris, but many experts have rejected that idea. Former F1 driver Martin Brundle said the team wants both drivers to succeed. “McLaren don’t mind which of their drivers wins the championship, as long as it’s one of them,” Brundle said.

He believes Piastri just needs a strong weekend to rebuild his confidence. “Something has gone a bit wrong in his head,” Brundle added. “He’s lost a bit of confidence, and when you’re under pressure at this level, even being slightly off makes a big difference.”

Former driver Jolyon Palmer also said that while Piastri was far from Norris in Mexico, his race recovery showed his determination. “It was a salvage, as good as you can get on a bad day,” Palmer explained on the F1 Nation podcast. “The points are important, but the performance will worry him.”

McLaren are confident that Piastri can bounce back. Stella said the team feels “encouraged and optimistic” for the last four races. If Piastri can find his rhythm again and keep calm under pressure, he still has a real chance to fight for the championship. The season is not over yet, and one strong weekend could put him right back in the title race.