P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Oscar Piastri a potential victim of ‘unconscious McLaren bias’ towards Lando Norris
According to Marcin Budkowski, Oscar Piastri may have faced “unconscious bias” from McLaren during his F1 title fight with team-mate Lando Norris last season. Budkowski, a former McLaren employee and current Alpine technical director, believes a mix of technical and mental factors contributed to Piastri’s championship demise. Piastri initially had a 34-point lead over Norris and a 104-point advantage over Max Verstappen after the Dutch Grand Prix but struggled to maintain his performance. Budkowski mentioned issues related to Piastri’s driving style, track conditions, and mental strength, particularly highlighting the Azerbaijan GP weekend where Piastri faced challenges. The different factors impacting Piastri’s performance led to a decrease in his confidence, hindering his championship aspirations.
