Piastri had held the championship lead for 15 consecutive races but lost it at the final round in Mexico, as his teammate’s victory put Norris ahead in the standings by a single point.

Asked ahead of the weekend whether he preferred to be the hunter or the hunted, the Australian replied: “Both have their positives and negatives. I think everyone likes a good underdog story or trying to come back is sometimes a bit easier.”

Nonetheless, Piastri said that he would “rather have the championship lead than be in any other spot.”

After losing the championship lead in Mexico, Oscar Piastri faces a critical weekend in Nevada, the next race after Interlagos. The Australian has found it difficult to perform in low-grip conditions, a challenge his teammate hasn’t faced to the same extent.

Andrea Stella, McLaren’s team principal, believes the remaining four tracks won’t give either driver a clear edge.

Instead, he emphasized the importance of extracting peak performance from the car to prevent repeats of weekends like Las Vegas last year, when both drivers fell far short of the podium.