The fairytale season of Oscar Piastri — once the unstoppable rising star of Formula 1 — has taken a shocking turn. After dominating the championship standings for more than six months, the young Australian’s momentum has suddenly collapsed under pressure, leaving his title hopes hanging by a thread.
The alarm bells began ringing in Mexico City, where teammate Lando Norris stormed to a commanding victory while Piastri could only manage fifth place. What looked like a minor setback on paper has now spiraled into a full-blown crisis. For the first time this season, Norris has overtaken Piastri in the drivers’ standings, and insiders claim the shift in dynamic has rattled the once ice-cool prodigy.
According to 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, the signs have been there for weeks. “You can see it in his body language,” Villeneuve told reporters. “He looks tense, stiff in the car — like he’s trying to force the speed instead of letting it come naturally. That’s a dangerous place to be when you’re fighting for a title.”
Team sources confirm that the issue isn’t mechanical — it’s psychological. Since the Baku Grand Prix, where Piastri endured a string of uncharacteristic mistakes, his confidence has visibly waned. The Australian himself admitted that he’s been “four or five tenths off” his usual pace — a shocking confession for a driver who once looked untouchable.
Behind closed doors, McLaren is doing everything it can to keep the situation from imploding. Team principal Andrea Stella insists the struggles are part of Piastri’s “development curve” and remains outwardly supportive. But internally, there’s growing concern that Piastri’s head-to-head battle with Norris is beginning to fracture team harmony — a storyline eerily reminiscent of past intra-team rivalries that derailed championship campaigns.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen, sitting just 36 points behind, is lurking like a shark in turbulent waters. With only four races remaining — in Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi — every lap, every tenth of a second will be decisive. Verstappen, the seasoned champion, thrives on pressure; Piastri, the newcomer, is now learning how brutally unforgiving Formula 1 can be.
If Norris continues his blistering form and Piastri fails to regain composure, the young Australian’s season could unravel completely. Analysts warn that another shaky weekend could mentally break his title challenge for good. “This is where champions are made or broken,” former F1 driver Damon Hill noted. “Piastri’s talent is extraordinary — but right now, his mind looks like his biggest rival.”
As the championship hurtles toward its climax, McLaren’s garage is a pressure cooker. The dynamic between Piastri and Norris — once McLaren’s greatest strength — could become its greatest liability.
The truth is simple: Oscar Piastri no longer looks invincible. The question now is whether he can rebuild his confidence in time — or if the dream season that once seemed unstoppable will end as one of the most painful collapses in recent Formula 1 history.
