Oscar Piastri addresses the growing threat of Max Verstappen as the title rival as championship lead gets slashed by 64 points in 4 races

Oscar Piastri downplayed Max Verstappen’s threat to his title challenge after the 2025 US Grand Prix. Speaking to media, including Sportskeeda, after the race, the McLaren driver felt that the Red Bull driver still had a significant gap to close.

Over the Austin weekend, Verstappen clawed back 25 points from Piastri’s lead, eight in the sprint and 17 in the main race. The gap between the two, which stood at 65 points after Singapore, has now narrowed to 40. Red Bull and the Dutchman have been buoyed by the momentum, with two more sprint weekends and three full race weekends of points still on offer.

When asked whether Verstappen held a psychological edge, Oscar Piastri appeared calm and unfazed. He maintained that a 40-point cushion over the next five race weekends remained a healthy margin and that if McLaren recovered its pace in the upcoming rounds, there was little reason for concern.

Post-race analysis indicated that McLaren’s lack of pace in Austin may have stemmed from a miscalculated ride height. The team opted for a conservative setup approach, and with only a single practice session available, there was limited opportunity to make adjustments through the weekend.

Asked by Sportskeeda if the Dutchman had a psychological edge over them after the current race weekend, Oscar Piastri said:

“Not necessarily, I mean, you know, he's obviously had a good run in the last few races, but ultimately, if we can find our way again, find our pace, and certainly for me, find the pace again, then I don't have any major concerns. It is still a long way to go in the championship. It is still, you , for Max anyway, he’s obviously chase it down pretty quick. But it's not exactly a small gap with five rounds to go. So I think if we can find our pace again, then will take care of themselves.”

Post-race analysis indicated that McLaren’s lack of pace in Austin may have stemmed from a miscalculated ride height. The team opted for a conservative setup approach, and with only a single practice session available, there was limited opportunity to make adjustments through the weekend.

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Oscar Piastri is not too concerned about the championship gap reducing

Oscar Piastri at the F1 Grand Prix of United States - Source: Getty

Oscar Piastri remained unfazed about his championship lead shrinking to 40 points over Max Verstappen. He acknowledged that the Baku and Singapore race weekends had contributed to the reduced gap but admitted that the USGP weekend felt unusual compared to others. The McLaren driver observed that Verstappen and Red Bull seemed to have found additional pace following the summer break.

Nevertheless, Piastri drew confidence from his experience in similar or even tighter title battles during his junior career. Unbothered by the narrowing margin, he reiterated that his main focus remained on improving performance and regaining the form that had defined the earlier part of his season. On whether it felt like the title was slipping away from him, Oscar Piastri said:

“Not really. I'd still rather be where I am than the other two. But, yeah, obviously this weekend has not been what I wanted or what I expected this weekend has been quite different to the previous couple. You know, Baku was obviously a bit of a disaster for very different reasons, and Singapore was well as what it was. So I think this weekend has been kind of the odd one out compared to others. But I think, you know, definitely Max and Red Bull have found a lot of pace since the summer break as well. And you know, we saw flashes of it at the start of the year, but it's been consistent since Zandvoort.”

Asked if he took any confidence that he had been in the situation before in the junior series and could turn around the championship, Oscar Piastri replied:

"Yes, you know, I've been in fights that were as close or at this point, even closer than what they are now. So I've got the evidence for myself that, you know, things can still turn out well and I still fully believe that I can win the championship. This weekend has obviously been tough and the gap has come down a little bit in the last few weekends, but, you know, again, performance is what's going to win you a championship, not just looking at points and seeing if you can increase it or decrease it. The faster you go, more points you going to score and that's what I’ll focus on.”

As it stands, Oscar Piastri leads the drivers’ championship with 346 points, holding a 14-point advantage over his McLaren teammate Lando Norris and a 40-point gap to Max Verstappen. The title fight is expected to go down to the wire, with a three-way battle now unfolding between the two McLarens and Red Bull.

Red Bull’s doubts about McLaren’s performance edge have faded, and their late-season resurgence has injected new life into the championship. The reigning champions have slashed the deficit from 109 points after the summer break to just 40. Verstappen’s first grand slam of the season, securing pole position, sprint victory, and the race win at the Circuit of the Americas, has further intensified the title fight heading into the final stretch.

Edited by Tushhita Barua