Oscar Piastri highlights crucial F1 title demand as Lando Norris fight heats up

Oscar Piastri has stated he "can't afford" to sit back on his pace in the hope of avoiding mistakes in the ongoing F1 title fight. Piastri currently leads team-mate Lando Norris by nine points in the drivers' championship. With a lead of almost 100 points over Max Verstappen in third, the McLaren competitors are likely the only two candidates in the title battle. The competitive order between Piastri and Norris has ebbed and flowed throughout the season thus far. While Piastri labelled consistency as a vital tool in a title fight, the Australian highlighted it needs to be backed up by strong pace. "The way you win races at the back end of the season is the same way as at the start," Piastri told media including RacingNews365 .  "You need to be faster than everyone around you, and you need to make the least mistakes possible. "That aspect doesn't really change. Like I said, it's great to be consistent, but if you're consistently being beaten, that's not a recipe for a championship. "It's a balancing act of both." Earlier this year, Norris asserted that the title advantage will rest with the driver who makes fewer mistakes rather than who delivers the fastest pace. Piastri highlighted mistakes are inevitable between the duo as the championship battle reaches a climax. "Obviously, if you're a robot, you'd be able to be as fast as possible and make zero mistakes, but we're all humans, so that's not possible," he said. "There is going to be an element of minimising mistakes, but you need to be fast at the same time, and you can't afford to sit back. "If you try to take that approach, you'll end up being beaten."