Romain Grosjean Confused by Oscar Piastri’s Shock Late-Season Drop

Former F1 driver Romain Grosjean questions Oscar Piastri’s late-2025 dip, after a dominant pre-break run, as McLaren navigates form swings, regulatory setbacks, and a tightening title fight.

Piastri starts 2025 strongly, banking 12 podiums and six wins before the summer break, establishing a clear championship platform alongside McLaren teammate Lando Norris.

The pivot arrives after victory in the Netherlands and third in Italy, followed by six races without a podium as rivals consolidate momentum.

Grosjean, speaking on beIN Sports, says the post-break form “feels like his cousin is driving,” reflecting confusion rather than certainty about root causes.

Several factors intersect. McLaren’s double disqualification in Las Vegas removes critical points and disrupts momentum within a tightly matched competitive order.

Piastri responds with second places in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, plus pole in Qatar, evidencing underlying pace even as execution and circumstances limit conversion into wins.

The net effect is costly. A 34-point advantage at the break swings to a 13-point deficit by season’s end, reflecting missed scoring opportunities and narrower operating windows.

McLaren’s balance window appears sensitive post-break, with setup demands fluctuating across circuits and temperatures, magnifying track-specific weaknesses and heightening tire management exposure.

Team dynamics stay stable publicly. Norris secures the title, while Piastri finishes third behind Norris and Max Verstappen, underlining McLaren’s season-long performance baseline.

The question remains whether correlation issues, development direction, or circuit sensitivity explain the downswing. Grosjean points to pace volatility rather than a single identifiable flaw.

Encouragingly, peak speed resurfaces when the operating window opens. That suggests the car retains headroom, provided setup, ride control, and tire usage converge more consistently.

The offseason priority is consistency. Converting underlying pace into repeatable race-day execution would restore title momentum and reduce exposure to regulatory and operational shocks.

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Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.