Max Verstappen surprised by Oscar Piastri’s “very bizarre” dip in form in F1 title race

Max Verstappen has questioned Oscar Piastri’s recent slump in the F1 title race, admitting he finds the McLaren driver’s dip in form “very bizarre”.

After the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Piastri held a 34-point advantage over McLaren teammate Lando Norris.

Verstappen was well out of F1 title contention, trailing Piastri by 104 points after Zandvoort.

Since then, Piastri has finished on the podium just once, and has finished fifth in the last three consecutive events.

Piastri’s lead has been completely eroded and he sits 24 points behind Norris ahead of Sunday’s race in Las Vegas.

Verstappen has moved back into title contention, albeit as an outsider, with 49 points to make up on Norris.

Piastri’s decline in form has led to wild suggestions that he’s been sabotaged, or that McLaren are favouring Norris given his longer association with the team.

When asked about Piastri’s recent performances, Verstappen said he had “no explanation” for it.

“I have no explanation for that to be honest. I find it very bizarre,” Verstappen told reporters.

“I didn’t expect it to go like this, although at the end of the day it’s not really my problem.”

Verstappen was asked if Piastri had suddenly forgotten how to drive.

“No, I don’t think so. But honestly, I also don’t know how this is possible,” Verstappen added.

Verstappen on F1 title race

Verstappen’s post-summer break form has given him an outside chance of a fifth title.

Verstappen has won three of the last six races, and no driver has scored as many points as he has.

Still, he feels that Red Bull have also benefitted from errors made by McLaren or their drivers, which has allowed him to move closer to Norris and Piastri in the title race.

“I think closing the gap that quickly has happened partly because all circumstances came together,” Verstappen explained.

“They made a few mistakes after the summer break or had a crash, while we had some good races in which everything came together. Yeah, then you can gain very quickly.

“At some point, you come back to reality and know that it won’t go like that everywhere. But at least we’ve been on the podium the last couple of races, and that’s already a lot more consistent than what it was from mid-2024 to mid-2025. So, in the end it’s still positive.”