After qualifying third in Abu Dhabi, the McLaren driver opened up for the first time about the possibility of letting his teammate through if Norris needed that very position to win the world title. However, Oscar Piastri still considers himself part of the fight, while admitting: “I need more than a victory. If nothing happens, I don’t win the title.”
Oscar Piastri arrived in Abu Dhabi as the driver with the fewest chances of becoming world champion among the three contenders for the 2025 Formula 1 crown, and qualifying at Yas Marina ended up confirming that role. The McLaren driver finished with the third-fastest time, behind the other two title rivals.
Pole position went to Max Verstappen, who arrives with two consecutive wins and continues to apply pressure on championship leader Lando Norris, who would only need to repeat today’s second place tomorrow to celebrate the first world title of his career.
In his own way, the Australian managed to put things back on track after a difficult Friday, which he ended only in 11th place, forced to make up for lost time after giving up his car to rookie Pato O’Ward in FP1. And although the gap to the Red Bull driver on pole is significant—over two tenths—the other MCL39 is only a handful of thousandths ahead.
“I think I went pretty well. The lap I did in Q1 was good, because it finally allowed me to find the rhythm this weekend. Honestly, I think my last lap in Q3 was good as well, because I didn’t have much margin left. Clearly, I wasn’t fast enough today, but I think this sets up a very exciting race for tomorrow,” Oscar Piastri said as soon as he reached parc fermé.
When asked whether he believes he has the pace to try to join the fight for victory in tomorrow’s race, he added: “We’ll see tomorrow. I think Max was quite fast in the race-run simulation as well, because he was obviously very strong over one lap. But we’ll see how much pace we have in tomorrow’s race.”
Shortly after, speaking to Sky Sport F1, he discussed what scenarios might unfold tomorrow and whether he plans to attack immediately: “I don’t know yet. We need to see what the situation in front of me will be. I’ll try to take the opportunities that come my way but, as I’ve already said several times, I need more than just a win: if nothing happens, I still don’t win the championship. So we’ll see what happens.”
As he himself pointed out, with a 16-point gap to Norris, he would need something close to a miracle to be the one lifting the trophy. For now, however, no team orders or specific strategies have been planned within the Woking garage to help Lando: “I’m sure we’ll discuss it as a team, but we haven’t had any direct conversation yet about what decisions might be necessary. But in the end, I still have a chance.”
He then seemed more open when faced with a very direct question: whether he would be willing to let Norris pass if that position were necessary for the title. “If that were the case, it could happen, but the race tomorrow will be very long,” he concluded, without committing too strongly.
Starting third, directly behind the two men he is chasing, Oscar Piastri knows one mistake from either rival could still hand him the miracle he needs. Until that door definitively closes, the Australian is keeping his foot down – but for the first time he has publicly accepted that Sunday might ultimately be about delivering the world championship to his team-mate rather than himself.
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