A former Formula One world champion has revealed why he thinks that Oscar Piastri has a “psychological advantage” over McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
The pair are locked into an intense title battle, with only eight points separating them at the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings.
| Position | Drivers' Championship | Points |
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | 234 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | 226 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | 165 |
| 4 | George Russell | 147 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | 119 |
It’s currently advantage Piastri who leads his teammate, but Norris has won the last two races in Austria, and at a controversial British Grand Prix. Piastri picked up a 10-second penalty for sudden heavy braking under the safety car to hand Norris his first home win.
Norris has the momentum in terms of results, but this former champion thinks Piastri has the mental edge.
Damon Hill explains why Oscar Piastri has a ‘psychological advantage’ over Lando Norris
Damon Hill, the 1996 F1 world champion with Williams, thinks that Piastri’s reaction to his 10-second penalty at Silverstone revealed something key about the Aussie.
He was visibly angry after the race, the most animated we have seen the championship leader during his Formula One career. He has been calm and collected so far, coming across as amicable and friendly. But Hill thinks that’s partially an act which works in his favour.
Speaking on the F1 Show, he said, “There is a lot of fire in that guy, and he doesn’t reveal it. He keeps it well hidden. You see it in competition, generally speaking, he races fair and hard, but I think Max [Verstappen] respects Oscar. He knows that this is a guy who is a bit of a challenge to him.
“I think he’s softened up Lando. I think his friendship with Lando gives him a psychological advantage over him a little bit. You don’t see Lando being quite so decisive as Oscar.”
After serving the penalty, which Piastri said was unjust, he cheekily asked McLaren if Lando would give the lead back to him if they too thought the penalty was unfair. Of course, his team didn’t oblige, but it was an insight into the competitor behind the friendly appearance, which all of F1’s all-time greats have.
Oscar Piastri’s Silverstone penalty ‘harsh’, says Jolyon Palmer
Piastri’s penalty came when he slammed on the brakes as the safety car was ending, in a way that the race stewards deemed erratic.
The safety car came in late, and Piastri, in order to create a gap between himself and the safety car as he headed into Stowe, hit the brakes and slowed down to a near stop.
Verstappen overtook him and came on the radio, claiming that Piastri “suddenly came to a stop”. Piastri slowed from 218 km/h to 52 km/h quickly forcing the whole field to slow to a halt. The stewards agreed with Verstappen, handing Piastri a penalty and therefore Norris the race win.
After the race, an angry Piastri was short with his words, stating that he was holding back so he wouldn’t get in trouble.
He did, however, say post-race race, “I thought the penalty was pretty bad. It’s annoying when the result you deserve gets taken from you.”
Jolyon Palmer, breaking down the incident for F1 TV, agreed with Piastri. He said, “It’s such an innocuous moment in this grand Prix, so I think it’s an extremely harsh penalty on Oscar.
“I can’t remember a penalty being given for this incident before in the past. A tough one for Oscar Piastri.”
This event happened in wet conditions, and with reduced visibility on track, it’s easy to see why the stewards took this stance. But whether it was deserved or not, the race result has set up the championship fight beautifully going into the second half of the season.