The Austin GP weekend highlighted the difficult phase that Oscar Piastri is currently going through. After a brilliant first part of the season, during which he often kept pace with Lando Norris and established himself as a championship leader, the Australian now seems to have lost fluidity and confidence. The Sky Sport F1 Italy team unanimously interprets this period as a mental crisis rather than a technical one.
As Vicky Piria observed, Piastri “did not put in a positive lap this race, he was always behind Norris and Russell in terms of pace. Not good.” Matteo Bobbi agreed, noting that “the things that used to come naturally and easily now no longer do, and that ease is turning into tension.”
The pressure, inevitable in such a tight championship battle, seems to weigh heavier. Carlo Vanzini recalled, “After the Dutch GP he had a 34-point lead over Norris and 104 over Max,” also emphasizing that the feeling with the car is no longer the same: “Piastri reminds me of Vettel: if he has the car to be at the front, he’s a monster, but when he has to fight and push, it’s harder. And now he’s struggling.”
Marc Gené sought to put things in perspective, noting that psychological struggles are part of Formula 1: “He’s in a slump, but a single good weekend can change everything. This is a mental sport: all drivers have doubts about themselves, and that’s where the work needs to happen.” On this point, Ivan Capelli suggested Oscar Piastri could take a page from Max Verstappen: “He should learn from Max how to maintain the championship lead, especially mentally.”
Bobbi and Piria concluded the analysis agreeing on a key point: freeing the mind. Bobbi explained, “Probably many questions have crept into his head. The goal must be to return to racing without worries.” Piria added a final reflection, considering Saturday’s Sprint first-corner events: “Today he was probably also thinking about not making mistakes, given that the car was very nervous, and when you’re under pressure it can take longer to rebuild confidence.”
In short, the Austin weekend served as a wake-up call for Oscar Piastri. But Formula 1 is made of mental cycles and different phases: talent is not lost, it’s just a matter of regaining calm to let it shine again.
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