Formula 1 is rapidly approaching the ultimate title showdown. On Sunday it’s all about everything in the desert of Abu Dhabi. One of the title contenders has to watch first. A disadvantage?
Three drivers can still take the Formula 1 World Championship crown next Sunday. One of them is Oscar Piastri. The McLaren driver will initially just watch in the first free practice session of the last race.
The Australian hands over his McLaren racer to the Mexican Patricio O’Ward in FP1. The replacement driver had already been allowed to get into Lando Norris’ car in Mexico.
Background: According to the FIA statutes, each team must field a young driver in free practice a total of four times over the course of the season.
But the plan for this operation has been in place for a long time. “Oscar knew that this was the case at the beginning of the year,” explained ex-Formula 1 driver and “Sky” expert Ralf Schumacher in a media round at the broadcaster.
Schumacher sees a disadvantage for Piastri
Nevertheless, it is definitely a disadvantage for the title contender that he has to sit out. Schumacher suspects that McLaren certainly did not plan at the time knowing that the showdown would now be so close.
Of the three drivers, Piastri has the worst chance of winning the world title. Although he was at the top of the drivers’ standings at the beginning and middle of the season, he has been giving up more and more points since the summer. Teammate Norris, on the other hand, showed the opposite form.
In the sprint from Qatar, Piastri was able to make an exclamation point. After his team’s strategy debacle, he came second in the main race.
The 24-year-old is now third in the standings, 16 points behind Norris. Second is defending champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull, 12 points behind first place.
Formula 1: This is how Piastri wins the title
Above all, the McLaren driver has to hope that his teammate slips up and at the same time deliver the best possible performance himself.
Because if Piastri wins in Abu Dhabi and Norris only finishes sixth, then the Australian would have his debut title in his pocket
If Piastri “only” comes second, Max Verstappen can finish a maximum of fourth and Norris is not allowed to collect more than a single World Cup point, i.e. a maximum of tenth.