Ex-Haas driver baffled by Piastri's title slump: 'Like his cousin driving'

Former Haas driver Romain Grosjean has expressed his confusion over Oscar Piastri's dramatic mid-season dip in form, which he believes cost the McLaren driver a shot at the 2025 world championship. Grosjean pinpointed a four-to-five race stretch after Monza where Piastri's performance level inexplicably dropped, allowing teammate Lando Norris to overturn a 34-point deficit and claim the title.

Why it matters:

Piastri's inability to maintain his championship-leading form highlights the immense pressure and consistency required to win a title in Formula 1. After establishing himself as a frontrunner in the first half of the season, his slump handed the initiative to Norris and serves as a critical learning point for the young Australian's future title ambitions.

The details:

• Grosjean stated he "can't quite wrap my head around" Piastri's performance drop, describing a period where "it was like his cousin was driving."
• The slump began after the Italian Grand Prix in Monza and lasted for several races, during which Piastri failed to win any of the final nine Grands Prix.
• Grosjean noted that Piastri's pace returned emphatically at the Qatar Grand Prix, where he took pole position, but by then the damage to his championship lead was irreversible.
• The former driver concluded that Piastri will be "pretty disappointed" with squandering a 34-point buffer after the summer break to finish the season over 10 points behind Norris.

The big picture:

Piastri's season encapsulates the razor-thin margins in F1. He demonstrated championship-winning speed for much of the year, leading the standings, but a brief loss of form was all it took for a relentless competitor like Norris to capitalize. Grosjean believes this experience, while painful, will be formative. He asserts that if Piastri can replicate his strong performances and eliminate such slumps, he "will definitely be a world champion one day." The 2025 season ultimately serves as a stark lesson in the relentless consistency required to secure the ultimate prize.

summary: Romain Grosjean is baffled by Oscar Piastri's mid-season performance drop, which he likened to "his cousin driving." Grosjean believes this slump cost Piastri the 2025 championship after leading by 34 points, but sees it as a key lesson for the young McLaren driver's future title bids.

categories: ["DRIVER", "OPINION"] }```json { "title": "Ex-Haas driver baffled by Piastri's title slump: 'Like his cousin driving'", "content": "Former Haas driver Romain Grosjean has expressed his confusion over Oscar Piastri's dramatic mid-season dip in form, which he believes cost the McLaren driver a shot at the 2025 world championship. Grosjean pinpointed a four-to-five race stretch after Monza where Piastri's performance level inexplicably dropped, allowing teammate Lando Norris to overturn a 34-point deficit and claim the title.\n\n### Why it matters:\nPiastri's inability to maintain his championship-leading form highlights the immense pressure and consistency required to win a title in Formula 1. After establishing himself as a frontrunner in the first half of the season, his slump handed the initiative to Norris and serves as a critical learning point for the young Australian's future title ambitions.\n\n### The details:\n* Grosjean stated he "can't quite wrap my head around" Piastri's performance drop, describing a period where "it was like his cousin was driving."\n* The slump began after the Italian Grand Prix in Monza and lasted for several races, during which Piastri failed to win any of the final nine Grands Prix.\n* Grosjean noted that Piastri's pace returned emphatically at the Qatar Grand Prix, where he took pole position, but by then the damage to his championship lead was irreversible.\n* The former driver concluded that Piastri will be "pretty disappointed" with squandering a 34-point buffer after the summer break to finish the season over 10 points behind Norris.\n\n### The big picture:\nPiastri's season encapsulates the razor-thin margins in F1. He demonstrated championship-winning speed for much of the year, leading the standings, but a brief loss of form was all it took for a relentless competitor like Norris to capitalize. Grosjean believes this experience, while painful, will be formative. He asserts that if Piastri can replicate his strong performances and eliminate such slumps, he "will definitely be a world champion one day." The 2025 season ultimately serves as a stark lesson in the relentless consistency required to secure the ultimate prize.", "summary": "Romain Grosjean is baffled by Oscar Piastri's mid-season performance drop, which he likened to "his cousin driving." Grosjean believes this slump cost Piastri the 2025 championship after leading by 34 points, but sees it as a key lesson for the young McLaren driver's future title bids.", "categories": ["DRIVER", "OPINION"] }