Oscar Piastri “insecure” under F1 title pressure as Max Verstappen closes in

Former F1 driver Timo Glock believes Oscar Piastri is “insecure” amid the mounting pressure of the 2025 title race.

Piastri endured a difficult weekend at the United States Grand Prix.

The Australian crashed out of the sprint race after missing a switchback move on teammate Lando Norris.

Fortunately for Piastri, contact with Nico Hulkenberg behind sent him into Norris, ending his rival’s sprint race hopes on the first lap.

Piastri then lost eight points to Norris in the Grand Prix as his teammate finished second.

He slumped to fifth after a lack of pace, finishing behind both Ferrari drivers.

Overall, it’s been a difficult run of form for Piastri, who has not beaten Norris in a race since Zandvoort in August.

Glock, who raced in F1 between 2007 and 2012, delivered a brutal verdict on Piastri.

“He’s insecure,” Glock said. “In his third year in Formula 1, he is in a situation where the pressure is growing. The free driving from the beginning of the year is no longer so easy.”

‘Nervousness’ for McLaren

McLaren’s dominance has been halted by a resurgent Red Bull.

Max Verstappen has won three of the last four races to cut Piastri’s advantage to 40 points with five rounds to go.

Glock feels the entire McLaren team will be impacted by the pressure of Verstappen’s form.

“The nervousness is there for the whole team,” he said. “The problem is that there are race tracks where Mercedes is suddenly there, Ferrari was strong here. That’s the problem for Oscar and Lando, that there can be other teams that take points away from them.

“For me, Max Verstappen is too dominant for anyone to put him under pressure.”

Despite his championship lead shrinking, Piastri has insisted he’d rather be in his position than Norris or Verstappen’s.

“I’d still rather be where I am than the other two [Norris and Verstappen],” Piastri said in Austin.

“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.

“Still a long way to go in the championship, it is still for Max anyway. He’s obviously chased 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 things take care of themselves.”