Oscar Piastri starts from third as he fights Lando Norris and Max Verstappen for the world championship
Oscar Piastri’s title hopes were further diminished when he managed to fall behind two rivals who had qualified for the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi.
Max Verstappen’s spectacular run ahead of Lando Norris has set off a slew of speculation in the Yas Marina paddock about how McLaren’s championship leader Norris might concede to the attacking champion, who has vowed to make an “all-out” effort for victory and a remarkable fifth consecutive title.
Oscar Piastri speaks to the media after qualifying.Credit: Getty Images
Red Bull’s ruthless Verstappen questions McLaren about potential ‘dirty tricks’; Just last week Verstappen was gleefully labeled by McLaren boss Zak Brown as an indestructible “monster” who doesn’t just lie down and constantly haunts them.
While Norris did not rule anything out, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said he was not worried and was confident “it will be an interesting race but within the bounds of sportsmanship and fairness”.
In all this, Piastri, four points behind Verstappen and 16 points behind team-mate Norris, was treated like a forgotten man, and his third place on the grid made his path to the title even tougher.
Max Verstappen still has a good chance of beating Lando Norris and Piastri for this year’s title.Credit: Getty Images
Even a win might not be enough, as Norris needs to finish in the top three to secure the title.
Still asking about the possibility of having to accept McLaren’s team orders to help Norris, Piastri gently reminded everyone: “Until Lando or Max cross the line in front of me, I still have a chance to win the championship, so we’ll see how the race plays out.”
On a track where overtaking is not easy, the key for him will come at the start and Piastri was asked if he could risk a possible collision by jostling the two favorites while enjoying third place.
“Maybe,” he said, smiling sarcastically. “We’ll see. We’ll see how it plays out.”
AAP
