F1 pundit explains “real test” for Oscar Piastri after latest mistake in Sao Paulo GP

Racing driver Jamie Chadwick believes Oscar Piastri’s response to his crash in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix sprint race will be the “real test” of his 2025 F1 title credentials.

Piastri crashed out in the early stages of the Sao Paulo GP sprint race while running in third place.

The Australian lost control of his McLaren at Turn 2 after putting a wheel on the damp kerb, spearing off into the barriers.

Two other drivers - Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto - followed suit, crashing in similar fashion to Piastri and causing a lengthy red-flag stoppage.

It’s another costly mistake for Piastri, who now sits nine points behind teammate Lando Norris in the race for the title.

Norris won the sprint race from pole position, resisting pressure from Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.

Chadwick, a three-time W Series champion, has called on Piastri to forget about the crash and bounce back quickly.

“When it rains it pours. It’s now a test for Oscar,” she explained. “I know we say this a lot. If you look at what happened in Baku it was one mistake and several others followed — a weekend to forget rather than a race. In this instance, if he can draw a line under that then he knows he has a quick car because his teammate won the race. He knows he has a car capable of being up there.

“Draw a line under it, go again this afternoon rather than dwelling on the past which is something we haven’t seen in recent races for Oscar. That’s going to be the real test for me.”

Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok believes that, unlike recent races, Piastri’s raw pace should give him more encouragement.

Piastri was well off the pace in Austin and Mexico, finishing fifth in both races.

“He was quick yesterday. On that last run of Q3, he had a bit of a challenge getting a downshift on the first run,” Chandhok explained.

“He missed the apex and had to go again, so was a bit cautious. Up until that point he was a match for Lando. The speed was there this weekend, which wasn’t the case in Austin or Mexico.

“We talk about the run of form… It’s been different here. I feel like at least his speed has bounced back, but what’s happened here you’re right — he’s got to try and compartmentalise, put it in a box, wrap it up, lock it up and get on with it this afternoon.”

Piastri reflects on the sprint

The good news for Piastri is that his mistake didn’t happen in the Grand Prix - where most of the points are scored.

Reflecting on the sprint, Piastri said: “Trying to put this behind [me], I guess. We will see what weather we have for this afternoon.

“Obviously, there’s a lot more points on offer tomorrow so the better job I do this afternoon of trying to give myself a good starting spot the better it will be.”