Oscar Piastri arrives in Qatar eager to reset after a difficult weekend in Las Vegas, where both McLarens were disqualified. Despite the setback, the Australian still sees a path to remain in the championship fight against his teammate Lando Norris and the resurgent Max Verstappen.
Following the result in Las Vegas, Verstappen has drawn level on points with Piastri, with both drivers sitting 24 points behind championship leader Norris. As the paddock lands in Doha for the Qatar Grand Prix, the driver of car No. 81 remains optimistic. The characteristics of the Losail International Circuit generally suit the McLaren package, and Piastri believes it could be the ideal place to regain his strongest form after several difficult weekends.
Piastri is fully aware that a simple “good weekend” may not be enough to truly reopen the title fight. Many elements need to fall into place for him to mount a realistic comeback. At the same time, he also knows this could be the weekend that eliminates him from contention—but he is determined to prevent that outcome.
The Las Vegas disqualification
The double disqualification for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri meant that Max Verstappen was the only championship contender to make progress, pulling level with the Australian. Even though neither McLaren driver gained nor lost points relative to one another, Oscar Piastri still considers the overall weekend a clear negative.
“I mean, I think in the end it’s never a good thing to have the result we had,” Oscar Piastri told the media, including F1inGenerale, on Thursday in Qatar. “Yes, obviously it keeps me from losing those six points to Lando [Norris]. It also brings Max [Verstappen] much closer in the fight. But I think overall it’s a definite negative. Obviously, it’s just a pretty tough weekend for the team and a painful ending.”
He added that he sensed trouble as soon as the team was called to see the stewards. “I knew we were in trouble when we were on the track. Obviously when I was called to the stewards, I was still at the circuit. And when you get called to the stewards for anything—especially for something like this… we tried to stay optimistic, but there’s only so much optimism you can have. So I already knew we weren’t in great shape at that point,” the McLaren driver explained.
Team principal Andrea Stella noted that Oscar Piastri has struggled particularly in low-grip conditions—such as Austin, Mexico and Las Vegas—and in colder temperatures. In Qatar, however, the higher and more stable temperatures should make life easier, and the track layout is expected to favor the Australian.
“Yes, I’d say I’m confident. I think it’s a circuit I’ve liked in the past, a track where I’ve had good performances. I think in Las Vegas we were okay in terms of pace. It’s just that the final moments of Q3 didn’t go the way I wanted, and then the race… yes, obviously the race was what it was and there were some mistakes. But I think the pace, when I had clean air to use my rhythm, was quite good. I believe we’ve already found many improvements in these types of conditions, but obviously here it’s a very different circuit: much higher speeds, very grippy asphalt, quite consistent, maybe a bit of wind around. But at least the temperatures are pretty stable.”
Piastri and the title fight in Qatar
This weekend could be Piastri’s last real chance to stay in contention for the 2025 Drivers’ Championship, but he insists his mindset has not changed from when he was leading the standings earlier in the season.
“I think every weekend I try to get the best result possible. And whether it’s the first round or the 23rd round, it’s the same mentality. Obviously, yes, I know where things stand in terms of points in the championship. But in the end the best way to keep my hopes alive is to try to turn up in the best shape possible, win and get the best results I can,” he said.
Verstappen is now closer to the top than ever this season, but Piastri knows that victory in Qatar is still within reach—and helping Norris is not on the table.
“We’ve discussed it very briefly and the answer is no. I’m still level with Max in terms of points and I have a good chance to win anyway, if things go the right way.”
He added that the title fight is not yet over for him. “I think this is still an opportunity for me. And it’s already happened a couple of times that I’ve won like this, so I know it’s not impossible. Obviously I also know it’s a bit difficult, I can’t just rely on that. Even if I have two perfect final weekends, I can’t rely solely on that. I need other things to go my way and I’m very aware of that. So I think I’ll just try to have the best weekends possible—which I try to do every weekend—and basically see what happens with everyone else,” Oscar Piastri concluded ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix weekend.
The message to Lando Norris and Max Verstappen is clear: the Aussie is coming for both of them.
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