🚨Bad News For Piastri After McLaren Review Crash! “Clean Slate” Costs Him Big!
Just 10 minutes ago, Oscar Piastri’s championship dreams took a gut-wrenching hit as McLaren’s internal review of the disastrous US GP Sprint crash pinned partial blame squarely on the Australian star, wiping out any lingering “repercussions” for teammate Lando Norris and leaving Piastri to shoulder the weight alone. The 24-year-old, who entered Austin leading the 2025 F1 standings by 22 points over Norris, now faces a precarious 14-point edge with Verstappen lurking 40 points back—after the collision cost McLaren a potential podium sweep and handed the Dutchman a crucial eight-point lifeline. Piastri, speaking ahead of Mexico practice on Thursday (October 23, 2025), admitted his aggressive cutback at Turn 1 was “ill-judged,” but the fallout—a “clean slate” for the papaya duo—signals McLaren’s desperate bid for unity amid a tightening three-way title war.
The chaos unfolded in Saturday’s Sprint at Circuit of the Americas, where Piastri, starting third behind Verstappen and Norris, gunned for an early overtake. Braking late into Turn 1, he switched lines to dive inside his teammate, only to clip Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber—flinging his MCL39 airborne before slamming into Norris’ side, shredding both cars’ suspensions and tires. Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin was collateral damage, squeezed on the apex, but McLaren’s double DNF gifted Verstappen an unchallenged run to victory. Initial blame flew at Hulkenberg for a wide line and Alonso for pinching space, with team principal Andrea Stella decrying “amateur hour” from experienced rivals. Piastri radioed frustration: “I tried to cut back… got hit,” while Norris fumed: “I just got taken out—what could I do?”
McLaren’s post-weekend autopsy, delayed to avoid distracting from Sunday’s Grand Prix—where Norris snagged P2 and Piastri limped to P5—delivered the hammer. “There were a lot of factors, but ultimately, that’s what has been decided,” Piastri told Motorsport.com, owning his role in the “karting-style” maneuver that scrubbed speed and crossed Hulkenberg’s path. The review absolved Norris of any Singapore-style sanctions—where he faced “repercussions” like deferred garage exits for tapping Piastri—and erased them entirely, citing the Austin incident as a fair equalizer. “We’re on a clean slate now,” Piastri confirmed, a phrase echoing team unity pleas from Zak Brown after the Brit’s earlier admission of fault in Singapore. Yet for Piastri, the “bad news” stings: no formal penalty, but a narrative shift that burdens him as the aggressor, potentially eroding his psychological edge in intra-team scraps.
This verdict arrives at a perilous juncture. Verstappen’s Austin masterclass—pole, Sprint win, and a 11-second Grand Prix rout—has reignited Red Bull’s fire, with Horner crowing: “McLaren’s mess is our momentum.” Piastri’s lead, once unassailable after nine wins, has evaporated 64 points to Verstappen since Monza, amplified by the Sprint’s lost data that forced a conservative setup—higher ride height to dodge plank disqualification fears, costing 0.3 seconds per lap per Ted Kravitz. “Performance wins titles, not points math,” Piastri insisted to Sky Sports, invoking his 2020 F3 thriller with Logan Sargeant. But with 141 points left across Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, the pressure mounts—especially as Norris, now “freed” from shadows, eyes revenge.
Paddock whispers paint a fractured McLaren garage. The Sprint echoed Singapore’s papaya-on-papaya nudge, where Norris’ “consequences” sparked favoritism rumors favoring the homegrown talent. Danica Patrick slammed Piastri’s move as a “bad judgment call” on Sky F1, while Karun Chandhok called the team’s “tricky” precedent-setting a headache. Brown, ever the diplomat, backed the review: “We fight as one—no grudges, just faster laps.” Piastri, stoic in Mexico qualifying (P3, behind Norris’ P2), posted on X: “Lessons learned—focus forward. #PapayaPower.” Yet fans erupted on Reddit’s r/formula1, with #PiastriPunished threads decrying “unequal scales” and memes of a “cursed Turn 1.”
For Piastri, the “bad news” transcends blame—it’s a championship millstone. Her aggressive style, blending raw speed with strategic nous, propelled McLaren’s Constructors’ resurgence, but unchecked risks now haunt. As Mexico’s altitude tests engines and egos, the Australian must channel this into redemption—or watch Verstappen and Norris pounce. In F1’s unforgiving endgame, one review can rewrite legacies, and McLaren’s “clean slate” feels anything but spotless for the man at the top. Piastri’s fire? It’s lit—but will it forge a crown or fuel a fall?
