Oscar Piastri suffered his second consecutive disaster in a Sprint race at the Brazil GP. Lando Norris and Max Verstappen gained ground in the championship, leaving the young Australian under pressure to react immediately.
The Sprint at Interlagos delivered a harsh blow for Piastri, who paid dearly for an error in mixed conditions. The Australian retired after just a few laps, while Norris drove straight to the finish line, extending his lead in the championship. Piastri now faces the urgent task of recovering in qualifying.
Oscar Piastri started on yellow tyres and initially struggled to overtake Kimi Antonelli, staying close but unable to pass. The decisive moment came just a few laps in: the Australian went over a wet kerb in the first turns’ twisty section, losing control and crashing into the wall, visibly frustrated as he raised his hands to his face.
Analysis by Sky and the team radio from Kimi Antonelli revealed that Norris had inadvertently lifted water at that point. While Antonelli managed to avoid the kerb, Piastri, Nico Hulkenberg, and Franco Colapinto all crashed. Only Max Verstappen narrowly avoided the incident and kept his car under control.
This is clearly a significant blow for Piastri’s championship hopes. With another zero added to the one in Austin, he now trails Norris by nine points, marking a decidedly negative trend.
In post-session interviews, Mara Sangiorgio asked Piastri about the crash, and the Australian spoke briefly, describing it as simply “an unlucky incident in wet conditions” and adding that there was nothing more to comment, keeping his usual unreadable expression.
What is certain is that Piastri will have very few hours to reset and deliver a strong qualifying performance if he wants to remain in contention for the championship, at a moment when momentum clearly favors his teammate.
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