Piastri: 34-point gap over Norris 'not a comfortable margin'

Piastri: “There’s still a long way to go”

Historically, McLaren have never shied away from signing two drivers capable of challenging each other for titles.

From Hamilton and Button (2010-12) to Alonso and Hamilton in 2007, the Woking squad have enjoyed many strong line-ups.

It is little surprise, then, McLaren are the first team with both drivers in a title race since Mercedes almost a decade ago.

Until now, team principal Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown have been relatively relaxed about the situation.

Aside from the Canadian GP, there have been no major incidents between the papaya duo.

With the constructors title essentially in McLaren’s hands already, there is less at stake when their drivers cross swords.

Of course, Norris’ retirement changes the dynamics of the title race.

For Piastri, there is now some wriggle-room for small mistakes – provided he avoids a retirement like his teammate.

Given his performance this year so far, there is little evidence the 24-year-old will commit many unforced errors.

On the flip-side, yesterday’s result also gives Piastri a chance to consolidate his advantage even more with some victories.

Should he win this weekend in Monza, for example, his lead would increase to a minimum of 41 points.

In this scenario, both materially and psychologically, Piastri’s position would be even more difficult to disturb.

When asked post-race if he would change his approach, the Australian’s response was clear.

“No, I don’t think so. There is still a long way to do.

“I need to keep pushing and trying to win races still. I wouldn’t say it’s a comfortable margin.

“As we saw today, it can change with one DNF very, very quickly.

“So, this far out from the end of the year, it’s not a comfortable gap.”

Crunch time in the Championship

Comparisons are already being made between Norris’ retirement in Zandvoort and Lewis Hamilton’s infamous engine failure in Malaysia 2016.

Although these scenarios are not identical, the reason for comparison is clear.

When two title protagonists are so evenly matched, differences in reliability can help decide the Championship.

Until now, the margins between Piastri and Norris have been so small that key incidents (Canada, Zandvoort) have shaped the standings.

Because of this, Piastri is correct to downplay the prudence of changing his approach moving forward.

Fundamentally, the Australian is only one incident away from being within striking range of Norris in the standings.

The Dutch GP, while consequential, is still not the be-all and end-all in this year’s Championship race.

Piastri has enjoyed sizable advantages (though not to this extent) and seen Norris close the gap.

For both drivers, the aim until the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi is to prove they are definitively faster than their title rival.