Piastri feels 'uneasy' as McLaren appears 'shaky'

      "But we are still in control of our own fate."

      The pressure at McLaren is escalating quickly, as Max Verstappen's unyielding resurgence continues to diminish the previously comfortable lead of championship frontrunner Oscar Piastri. The race in Austin revealed new signs of strain within the Woking team – a challenging weekend that left CEO Zak Brown "glad it’s over," while acknowledging Red Bull’s growing momentum is now evident.

      "Lando had the same pace as Max, but was too far back from Leclerc," Brown remarked after the race on Sunday. "Oscar had a difficult time with the car all weekend. It wasn’t a good race for him.

      "We need to halt their momentum – but it's going to be a close fight. The World Championship is still in play."

      In reality, Piastri’s composure has been waning over several races, with his early-season sharpness diminishing as the championship battle heats up. "I don’t think I’ve made any significant driving mistakes," the Australian asserted. "It just hasn’t come together.

      "I haven’t felt particularly comfortable in the car this weekend. That’s been the theme of the race."

      Others in the paddock believe that the nerves are starting to show. Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde stated plainly, "They’re shaking. You can see McLaren, both within the team and from the two drivers, making many mistakes.

      "Piastri isn’t in control," added the Dutchman. "Norris was decent in qualifying, but he remains three-tenths off the pace. Max is the one who is pressuring - he knows how to win a championship like this."

      Another Dutch commentator, Christijan Albers, pointed out that Piastri’s calm demeanor might be concealing significant tension. "Everyone claims he’s such a composed guy, but perhaps he’s not as cool as we all believe," he told Viaplay.

      "You don’t notice mistakes, but it's too calm – he just can’t seem to get it right."

      Even team principal Andrea Stella acknowledged that McLaren must confront the truth. "We have to recognize that Verstappen and Red Bull currently have the most competitive car," he told Sky Italia.

      "It’s true that the layout of the track plays a part, but the gaps we see to Verstappen can’t be attributed only to that. The competitors have advanced their cars, and we need to extract more from ours."

      Nevertheless, Stella maintains that morale is still intact. "The championship is a three-way fight, but we are still in control of our destiny," he said.

      "We have competitive equipment, and the drivers will need to step up. The upcoming tracks will highlight our strengths."

      However, Timo Glock believes the entire McLaren organization is starting to feel the strain. "The whole team is anxious," he cautioned. "There are tracks where Mercedes or Ferrari could unexpectedly take points from them.

      "In my opinion, Max Verstappen is too dominant for anyone to put him under pressure."