Oscar Piastri pinpoints crucial F1 title factor: 'It doesn't come without risk'

Oscar Piastri has highlighted that consistency in the F1 drivers' championship fight with Lando Norris will not be "very useful" if he routinely finishes behind his title rival. The McLaren team-mates are locked into a tense, but thus far convivial, battle for their maiden crown. With only 16 points separating the pair, the campaign looks set to go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi in December. They have traded blows throughout the season, with the momentum ebbing and flowing between them. Both have enjoyed the upper hand on outright pace at points, but Piastri has made fewer mistakes than Norris, something that has contributed significantly to the slim advantage he currently holds. However, the Australian driver does not believe minimising errors alone will afford him the impetus for the remainder of the year. When asked whether he feels being faster or making fewer mistakes will ultimately matter more in the grand scheme of the championship fight, Piastri argued both were needed. "Both, ideally," the eight-time grand prix winner told the media, including RacingNews365 . "You can make an argument for either one. "You can be consistent, but if you're consistently coming second, that's not very useful. You need to have both." Despite his stance of neutrality, Piastri's answer swayed towards needing to be the quicker driver, even though the pursuit of which is fraught with risk. "At the level of the field and the level of my teammate, you need to bring your best," the 24-year-old added. "Inevitably, when you're pushing that hard, there are going to be mistakes here and there because it doesn't come without risk." In the previous round, at Spa-Francorchamps, Norris made multiple errors as he sought to reel in Piastri, the culmination of which prevented him from getting within striking distance of his team-mate, underlining the inherent danger to a championship charge. "You can't afford to take things easy and try and be consistent," Piastri said. "You need to push, and you need to be quick. "Of course, you try and execute as best as you can, but you need both to win the championship. You can't just rely on one."