‘A hunter has to be ruthless’ – Piastri gives his take on title chances as he vows to ‘finish year on a high’

Oscar Piastri is well aware that “not everything is within my control” as the 2025 title race enters its decisive moments, but the Australian has vowed to make the most of opportunities that come his way and end the season “on a high”.

After a difficult run of races, long-time championship leader Piastri recently dropped behind McLaren team mate Lando Norris in the Drivers’ standings and now sits 24 points back – tied with the resurgent Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

The points situation was altered – in Piastri’s favour relative to Norris – following the disqualification of both McLarens at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where Verstappen surged to another victory.

As the F1 paddock reconvened at the Lusail International Circuit for the Qatar Grand Prix, Piastri gave his take on the double DSQ, the reasons behind it, and where it leaves him in the battle against Norris and Verstappen.

“I think ultimately we had a lot more porpoising than we expected, and a lot more grounding because of that, so I think the explanation for it is pretty simple,” said Piastri.

“Now we’re focused on how we can get the most performance out of the car for Qatar. We’ll see how we go.

“Obviously there’s still a chance, and I want to try and finish the year on a high if I can. It’s been a pretty good circuit for me in the past, so hopefully it can be again.”

Pushed about remaining in the fight, the Australian said: “I think it can definitely still go my way, but not everything is within my control now.

“I need to be there and put myself in the best position so that if things happen, I can capitalise. That’s all I can try and do, really. Just try to have good pace, put myself in a good position and see what unfolds.”

Simply put, if Norris out-scores Piastri and Verstappen by two points across the Qatar Sprint weekend, he will be World Champion – and his team mate knows an aggressive approach is needed to overturn the deficit.

“A hunter has to be ruthless, I guess,” Piastri commented. “I’ll try my best. Ultimately, I’m not that concerned with trying to hunt anyone down or anything like that. I’m just trying to get the best performance I can out of myself.

“Naturally, if you do that then things start to look good for you and it puts people under pressure, but you need to go out there and perform first, so that’s what I’ll be focused on.”