Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri - Photo: Race Pictures

Piastri and Norris cracking under the weight? Hinchcliffe thinks so

18:02, 22 Oct

Updated: 18:31, 22 Oct

byOlly Darcy

F1 analyst and former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe believes that both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are "weighted down" by the current championship battle.

"A free driver is a fast driver, right? The two McLaren drivers are not free right now."

- James Hinchcliffe

At the United States Grand Prix, the two teammates collided once again, resulting in a double DNF from the sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas, derailing their weekend.

Norris recovered with a P2 finish, while championship leader Piastri could only muster a P5 finish. That, coupled with Max Verstappen's third win in four races, has seen the Australian's title lead significantly cut.

"A free driver is a fast driver, right? The two McLaren drivers are not free right now," Hinchcliffe explained on the F1 Nation podcast.

Max Verstappen celebraring his United States Grand Prix win with Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc on the podium - Photo: RacePictures

"They are weighted down with this looming battle. I think, even Red Bull in '24, started the season strong, but once McLaren caught up, you started seeing their pit stops falter a little bit.

"They weren't knocking out 1.9s every race like we'd seen in the past. Pressure is an interesting thing. You always want to be the hunted, because that means you've got the points lead, but passing is tough in F1, on track and in a championship.

"You always want the lead if you can have it, but it does come with more pressure. It is a harder position to be in in some ways, but you still always want to have that lead if you can."

McLaren looking for Mexico response

Constructors' champions McLaren have been winless since the Dutch Grand Prix, missing out on victory in the last four races as they suffer a blip in their dominant campaign.

However, in Austin, team principal Andrea Stella had plenty of confidence that one of his drivers would take the championship home for McLaren, saying that the outcome is "in [McLaren's] hands".

But the resurgence of Verstappen and Red Bull has got team boss Laurent Mekies believing that the Woking-based squad "no longer holds the advantage they had" with just five more races remaining this season.

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