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OSCAR PIASTRI MUST STEP UP AS TITLE BID FADES FAST

Oscar Piastri has been told to "personalise" his McLaren car like teammate Lando Norris to revive his F1 title hopes. The Australian has fallen behind Norris and Max Verstappen after a recent dip in form.

Oscar Piastri must step up as title bid fades fast
Oscar Piastri urged to follow Norris’ blueprint after title slip - COURTESY/PHOTO

In order to catch up to his teammate, Oscar Piastri has been advised to "personalise" the McLaren car in the same manner as Lando Norris.

Before the mid-season break, the Melbourne native was the clear favourite to win the Formula One championship, but a sharp decline in form has caused him to lag behind Norris and look up to Max Verstappen.


Oscar Piastri is instructed to "personalise" the McLaren vehicle in an effort to resurrect title ambitions.


Since Azerbaijan, the once-unflappable Piastri has been suffering from a string of subpar performances, while Verstappen and now Norris appear to be playing at their peak.

As a result, Verstappen sits 25 points behind Norris, who is 24 points ahead of Piastri. Piastri's title challenge is still alive with three race weekends remaining, but 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has advised him that if he wants to return to his former level of prominence, he needs to learn to "personalise" the McLaren car.

He claimed on Sky Sports that "Norris worked on his automobile." "He completed the first stage and truly joined the team to customise the vehicle."

"You will never return to that level until Piastri can achieve the same thing."

Piastri has always remained upbeat in spite of his difficulties, and he thinks there are "flashes" when he feels at ease in the vehicle.

"There is no denying that things have not been going smoothly," Piastri stated in Sao Paulo.

"I believe that this past weekend had flashes and times were I felt really at ease.

"[In] practice, things felt great and were coming a lot more naturally again. During the weekend, it sort of disappeared from us.

Even our team's pace was not as strong as it was on Friday, in my opinion, and the vehicle kind of took a turn that I did not particularly like.

However, we made every effort to position the car in a favourable window, and the Sprint crash undoubtedly made it considerably more challenging.

"So, even though a lot is going wrong right now, I believe that I still have bursts of really good pace, and it is just a matter of making sure I always have that."

KEEP AN EYE ON GABRIEL BORTOLETO, SAYS MAX VERSTAPPEN IN RED BULL HOPES

Max Verstappen reveals he told Red Bull to "keep an eye on" Gabriel Bortoleto before the Brazilian's F1 debut with Sauber. The World Champion has high hopes for the rookie's future in the sport.

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Keep an eye on Gabi - COURTESY/PHOTO

According to Max Verstappen, he supported Gabriel Bortoleto's ability early on.

Prior to Bortoleto securing a position in Formula One, Max Verstappen disclosed that he instructed Red Bull to "keep an eye on Gabi."

Through sim racing, the two drivers have become friends, and Verstappen has now disclosed that there are further advantages for the current Sauber driver.

Gabriel Bortoleto receives early support from Max Verstappen


Since the Brazilian was a member of the McLaren driver academy when he won the F2 championship, Bortoleto's future in Formula One was not necessarily assured. However, Notorl chose Sauber to partner with Nico Hulkenberg because Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were in his way.

The Swiss team's choice has paid off, as Bortleto is among the season's most promising rookies. Verstappen, who stated he instructed Red Bull to "keep an eye on Gabi," will not have been surprised by that performance.

He stated on the Pelas Pistas podcast, "I told the team to keep an eye on Gabi before you [Bortoleto] ever arrived at Formula 1." "But let us just observe how it develops now that we are all here."

While he did not make a forecast, Verstappen expressed his hope that the Brazilian will be at a top team within the next three or four years in response to the topic of whether Bortoleto could ever partner with him at Red Bull.

"First of all, you know, I have no idea how long I am going to do this myself," he stated. "My contract expires on the 28th, but nothing is decided upon or anything after that. I am not even familiar with myself.

"So, let us say, generally, I just hope that Gabi has the chance to compete fiercely in the front and compete for podiums within the next three or four years. If that is with the same team, that is even better, because it means that we are both vying for the best spots."

Verstappen has a history of forming friendships with other drivers. He is well-known for having a cordial relationship with both Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, and the Dutchman has demonstrated that friendships can exist outside of the racetrack even when two drivers are at odds with one another.

"I believe that you always have a healthy sense of competitiveness and that you will always want to outperform one another, right?

However, whether or not you can be a good friend will ultimately depend on the other person's personality and whatever you do that deviates from the norm.

It has not been good, but I believe we have previously witnessed it between other teammates. As if they had some problems or were no longer able to be pals.

FERRARI PLANNING BIG 2027 MOVE TO REPLACE LEWIS HAMILTON

Could Oliver Bearman replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari before 2027? As Hamilton's podium drought continues, insiders suggest the promising Haas rookie is being lined up as his future successor for the Scuderia.

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Journalists reveal Ferrari’s Secret Plan To Replace Hamilton with Oliver Bearman before 2027 - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Fred Vasseur, the team principal for Ferrari, is aware that he will eventually have to step in and take Lewis Hamilton's place.

Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur both hope that will not be the case for a while, but it makes sense that the 2025 Formula One season has sparked some concerns.

In the drivers' championship, Hamilton is now on track to become the first driver since 2011 to place in the top six without placing on the podium.

Felipe Massa was the unlucky driver who failed to place in the top three that year; the previous driver to accomplish that accomplishment also competed for Ferrari.

Hamilton is thought to have agreed to a three-year contract with Ferrari, which would keep him competing for the Scuderia until the conclusion of the 2027 season.

However, recent remarks made by John Elkann, the president of Ferrari, imply that even a seven-time world champion will not be given much opportunity to demonstrate his abilities and put an end to the team's protracted title drought.

It has been suggested that Carlos Sainz would not decline a return to Ferrari; therefore, the team will need to start thinking about their possibilities.

Journalists Rebecca Clancy and Ben Hunt, however, think Ferrari may attempt to replace the 40-year-old racing great with Haas youngster Oliver Bearman prior to the 2027 season.

Before the 2027 Formula One season, Hunt discussed Ferrari's driver predicament on the Inside the Piranha Club Podcast, suggesting that the company may be "seeking" to hire Oliver Bearman to replace Hamilton. We talked about Ollie Bearman as a young kid at Ferrari, and he finished sixth, he added.

"He gave a truly remarkable performance. Once more, another fantastic weekend with an excellent outcome.

Who knows, Ferrari might even be searching before 2027. When he consistently puts up strong performances, it is hard to overlook him.

"The other two can not be consistent, even when we talk about it."

Clancy retorted: "I believe Hamilton is benefiting from Leclerc's poor performance as well.

Therefore, in my opinion, you should also consider Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal. Although I am aware that he signed a contract extension in July, I am also aware that in this sport, contracts are meaningless.

"There is no doubt in your mind that they will be considering their alternatives. The chairman of Ferrari, John Elkann, does not want to lose.

"In my opinion, Vasseur is the squad member who is under the most pressure."


Does Oliver Bearman have the right to eventually take Lewis Hamilton's spot at Ferrari?


Bearman struggled with consistency at the beginning of the season, often appearing as fast as his more seasoned teammate Esteban Ocon but infrequently assembling a whole race weekend.

In addition, Bearman has more penalty points than any other driver, and he received another one at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after colliding with Liam Lawson.

Bearman's results have significantly improved since the summer break, though, and he is now consistently scoring points and making the top 10.

After qualifying for the first and second positions, he appeared to be in the running for pole position; therefore, he was upset to start the race at Interlagos only in eighth place on Sunday.

At the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, he finished in fourth place, which was amazing. Hamilton referred to Bearman's performance in Mexico as "huge."

It remains to be seen if Bearman could manage the demands of racing for Ferrari every week, but his handling of Sainz's last-minute replacement in Saudi Arabia last year indicates that he has what it takes to succeed Hamilton when he ultimately departs.

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