What Does Piastri Need To Do To Get Back On Track?

A thrilling decorativeness to nan Formula 1 drivers' title is successful imaginable pinch only 1 constituent down separating leader Lando Norris and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri going into this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Reigning champion Max Verstappen is only 36 points down Norris earlier nan title astatine Interlagos, which offers other points arsenic it's a sprint event.

After nan title successful Brazil, location are 3 much grands prix to travel this year, successful Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Before Sao Paulo, BBC F1 analogous Andrew Benson answers your latest questions.

Do you deliberation nan immense quality successful results betwixt Max Verstappen and his various team-mates complete nan years, compared pinch nan person battles Lewis Hamilton has had pinch immoderate of his (Nico Rosberg, George Russell and Charles Leclerc) says much astir Max, aliases nan value of his team-mates? - Simon

This is simply a very analyzable question, to which it's not imaginable to springiness a definitive answer, because location are truthful galore variables.

Yes, Verstappen has had a large advantage complete respective of his team-mates, particularly successful caller years.

But he and Carlos Sainz were comparatively evenly matched successful 2015 - successful fact, connected mean qualifying pace, Sainz was somewhat up complete their twelvemonth and a spot arsenic team-mates.

And nan aforesaid went for Daniel Ricciardo, though Verstappen inched his measurement from a small spot down nan Australian connected mean successful 2016 to definitively, if not massively, up by nan extremity of 2018.

After that, you besides person to facet successful Verstappen's pre-eminence successful nan Red Bull team, nan truth that everything was solely focused connected him, and that nan Red Bull car ended up successful a spot wherever it was very difficult to drive.

Even so, Sergio Perez did hit Verstappen connected merit a fistful of times.

At nan aforesaid time, earlier arriving astatine Ferrari, Hamilton had definitively beaten each his team-mates done his profession isolated from Fernando Alonso successful 2007, erstwhile they were to each intents and purposes even, and George Russell complete location years astatine Mercedes.

Jenson Button scored much points than Hamilton complete their 3 years together astatine McLaren from 2010-12 but Hamilton vanished up 2 of nan 3 years and scored considerably much wins. He besides had a difficult play successful 2011 erstwhile off-track factors affected his driving.

It tin besides beryllium based on that, connected balance, Hamilton has had a higher calibre of team-mate for much of his profession than Verstappen.

What Verstappen has not had alongside him since 2018 is simply a driver who is some knowledgeable and a recognised apical liner.

It would beryllium fascinating to spot him alongside Leclerc, Russell aliases 1 of nan McLaren drivers, for example.

Having said each of that, though, correct now beautiful overmuch everyone successful Formula 1 accepts that Verstappen is nan stand-out driver connected nan grid. He's correct up location successful nan statement astir who is nan top of each time.

What does Oscar Piastri request to do to get backmost connected track? He's connected a series of unspeakable results and showing obscurity adjacent nan existent gait of nan McLaren - his assurance successful nan car seems to person wholly collapsed. - Ieuan

It's difficult to beryllium judge what precisely has gone incorrect for Piastri successful caller races as, since nan summertime break, he has presented a confusing picture.

After he controlled nan Dutch Grand Prix from nan front, and Lando Norris retired pinch a fuel-line nonaccomplishment from 2nd place, Piastri was 34 points up successful nan championship, and looked group for a comfortable cruise to nan title, connected nan grounds of his play up to that point.

In Italy, he was a small disconnected Norris' pace, but not truthful overmuch that it looked thing retired of nan ordinary.

Then he had that bizarre play successful Azerbaijan, erstwhile it seemed for illustration different driver was successful nan car, and he collapsed 3 times, arsenic good arsenic jumping nan start.

But successful Singapore, he qualified up of Norris, who past barged him speech astatine nan first corner.

Then came Austin and Mexico, wherever Piastri was simply disconnected nan pace.

McLaren squad main Andrea Stella said this was astir Piastri not adapting arsenic good to nan car connected 2 rather akin surfaces that some suffered from debased grip and which demanded a different benignant of driving style.

Norris sewage connected apical of this sooner than Piastri, but Stella pointed retired that it's worthy remembering that Piastri is successful only his 3rd play and still has areas successful which he tin study and grow.

Stella says that, of nan 4 remaining races, location is "no logic to deliberation that 1 whitethorn favour 1 driver aliases nan other".

So let's spot really things cookware retired earlier jumping to excessively galore conclusions astir what precisely has happened to Piastri successful nan past 4 events.

What's gone truthful incorrect astatine Alpine? In 2016 nan scheme was to beryllium backmost astatine nan beforehand wrong 5 years, but astir a decade connected some their cars were lapping together successful Mexico, 30+ seconds down anyone else. - Matt

In nan past decade aliases so, this squad person had 2 abstracted five-year plans to move to nan front, nan first erstwhile they were Renault nether Cyril Abiteboul, nan 2nd arsenic Alpine nether Laurent Rossi.

Both evidently failed.

One rumor is that nan Renault motor has lacked capacity compared pinch nan champion since nan commencement of nan hybrid era successful 2014.

Another is that nan squad did not for a while person nan fund to compete pinch nan large teams astatine nan front.

Under nan budget-cap era since 2021, guidance is astatine fault. And that's not conscionable maine saying that - Flavio Briatore said truthful erstwhile he was appointed executive advisor by past Renault main executive serviceman Luca de Meo past year.

Briatore said: "The problem of Alpine was nary guidance - they chose a fewer incorrect managers."

This was astir evident successful nan driver market. Remember 2022, erstwhile Alpine had nan anticipation to spell into 2023 pinch Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri arsenic their drivers?

What happened? They mislaid some done mediocre guidance - Alonso by prevaricating, showing what he perceived arsenic a deficiency of respect and delaying successful offering him a deal, until he mislaid patience and jumped vessel to Aston Martin; and Piastri by not having him nether contract.

The embarrassment of taking that conflict to nan statement nickname board, only to beryllium told they had nary statement pinch Piastri to enforce summed up nan situation.

From nan anticipation of Alonso and Piastri, they ended up pinch Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. People wrong nan squad were tearing their hairsbreadth retired astir that.

The driver business was symbolic of different guidance issues.

Rossi was successful complaint arsenic main executive serviceman for overmuch of that time, and was decidedly astatine responsibility successful mishandling and underestimating Alonso, especially. But it was De Meo - who has now near Renault - who was yet responsible for each that.

Briatore has now travel successful pinch a caller instruction to… well, nary 1 is rather sure.

The Renault motor programme is ending this year, and they will bargain customer Mercedes power-units from 2026. That mightiness good summation performance, but what does it opportunity astir Renault's ambition?

It would beryllium unfair to look excessively overmuch astatine this year's performance, arsenic attraction has been focused connected adjacent play for immoderate time.

But is Briatore restructuring nan squad for success, aliases a imaginable sale? Renault insist it's nan first. Others successful F1 spot plentifulness of grounds for nan latter.

If it's nan first, caller managing head Steve Nielsen - who is wide respected wrong F1 - has a batch of activity to do to correct nan ship.

Sao Paulo Grand Prix

5-7 November

Live commentary connected BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and Sports Extra 2; unrecorded matter updates connected BBC Sport website and app

It seems clear that Yuki Tsunoda is losing his spot astatine Red Bull and Isack Hadjar is replacing him but what's nan business astatine Racing Bulls? Is Liam Lawson expected to beryllium retained and who will subordinate him? - Peter

Red Bull said astatine nan Mexican Grand Prix that they were going to hold a small longer to make decisions astir their 3 F1 seats different than nan 1 occupied by Max Verstappen.

The anticipation is that Isack Hadjar will beryllium promoted to nan 2nd spot astatine Red Bull alongside Verstappen aft an awesome rookie play astatine Racing Bulls.

It would beryllium easy to make nan statement that this mightiness beryllium different lawsuit of a driver being promoted excessively soon by Red Bull, but successful nan circumstances it's easy to spot why that determination would beryllium made.

Liam Lawson struggled severely successful his 2 races astatine Red Bull this season, and Yuki Tsunoda has not made a beardown lawsuit to beryllium retained, to opportunity nan least.

In those circumstances, nan evident solution would beryllium to beforehand Briton Arvid Lindblad - nan next-in-line Red Bull inferior - to Racing Bulls from Formula 2, and take betwixt Lawson and Tsunoda arsenic his team-mate.

Given Tsunoda has been successful F1 since 2021 and Red Bull are evidently not particularly convinced astir his potential, you could spot them dropping him and keeping Lawson alongside Lindblad.

There is besides nan mobility of Irishman Alex Dunne, who Red Bull are willing successful signing aft he was released from nan McLaren young driver programme successful September.

The anticipation is that they will prime Lawson aliases Tsunoda alongside Lindblad, driblet nan other, and past beforehand Dunne successful 2027 if he has a convincing play successful F2 aft his awesome rookie run this year.

Who was your F1 idol increasing up? - Aidan

Gilles Villeneuve was my puerility hero. I was alert of, and vaguely willing in, F1 beforehand, but it really came live erstwhile I came backmost from a family vacation successful nan summertime of 1979 and turned connected nan television.

Call it luck, telephone it serendipity, telephone it whatever, but nan first point that came connected surface was a Ferrari connected 3 wheels being driven astatine apparently intolerable speeds.

That was nan 1979 Dutch Grand Prix, aft a mid-race puncture for Villeneuve, who had been battling for nan lead pinch Williams' Alan Jones, and it instantly caught my attraction and imagination.

It wasn't ever easy pursuing F1 successful nan UK backmost then. TV schedules perpetually shifted. If a title was live, it was connected a show called Grandstand, which covered each kinds of sports, and you'd get a fewer minutes of F1 present and location successful betwixt nan equine racing aliases snooker aliases whatever.

But Villeneuve was nan first driver pinch whom I identified. His decease astatine nan 1982 Belgian Grand Prix was a daze - and I tin still retrieve that play vividly, albeit I was very young and it was a agelong clip agone - but my liking successful F1 only grew from there.