Jos Verstappen stirs the pot with “quite strange” Oscar Piastri form comment
Jos Verstappen weighs in Oscar Piastri's recent poor form in the 2025 F1 title race
Jos Verstappen has described Oscar Piastri’s dip in form as “quite strange” after the Australian lost the lead of the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship.
Piastri has dropped behind his teammate in the standings for the first time since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix back in April.
The Australian finished a disappointing fifth in Mexico, 42 seconds behind McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
Piastri is now one point behind his teammate with four rounds to go, but the momentum is with Norris.
He hasn’t won a grand prix since the Dutch GP in August and has seen his 34-point lead eroded.
His poor form has led to wild suggestions from some fans that McLaren are favouring Norris, given the British driver has been with the team since 2019.
McLaren have explained that Piastri’s lack of pace in Austin and Mexico City was due to Norris’ superior ability to manage the tyres and drive in low-grip conditions.
Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, has stirred the pot, stating that Piastri hasn’t “suddenly forgotten how to drive”.
“I find what’s happening at McLaren quite strange,” Verstappen told Dutch publication De Telegraaf.
“Piastri hasn’t suddenly forgotten how to drive, has he?
“If I were him, or his manager [Mark Webber], I would bang my fist on the table internally.
“Because now everyone is wondering whether he can handle the pressure. And that’s not good for your own name, Piastri’s in this case.”
Piastri needs to “fight back now”
Piastri heads into this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix in need of a big result.
He failed to out-qualify Norris at Interlagos during the 2023 or 2024 races.
Piastri let Norris through during the latter stages of last year’s race after a poor afternoon for both drivers.
“It may automatically seem that way, but I have no insight into that,” he said of the McLaren situation, Verstappen added.
“However, if I were Piastri, I would fight back now. Everyone assumed he would become champion, and that image has now changed very quickly.”
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