Hill believes McLaren drivers could miss out on the title.

      The closer the season gets to its conclusion, the harder it is for Oscar Piastri to cope with the pressure that inevitably accompanies the intensifying battle for the title, believes Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion.

      On the last day of August the Australian McLaren driver won the Dutch Grand Prix and at that point led Lando Norris in the drivers' standings by 34 points and Max Verstappen by 104. But that seventh victory of the season so far remains Piastri's most recent such achievement, after which his results began to decline; among other things he performed openly poorly in Baku, and this past weekend in Austin he scored just 10 points.

      Oscar is still the leader in the drivers' standings, however his teammate is only 14 points behind, and Verstappen is 40 points adrift. Commenting on the trend that has been observed for the second month in a row, Damon Hill told RacingNews365:

      "I think Lando has shed some of that burden, which has now fallen onto Oscar's shoulders. Psychologically, Norris has had to accept the high probability that he may not be able to win the title, whereas Piastri, it seems, is starting to seize up — because high expectations are tied to him. Neither of them has yet won a world championship, and if at night, lying in bed, you think about the possibility of becoming world champion, it really plays on your mind."

      If the McLaren drivers continue to lose points to Verstappen, then with each race the likelihood of a very unpleasant outcome for them will increase.

      "At McLaren they'll be saying to them, 'Guys, we've got a bit of a problem, because we might lose the title — it looks like that's where this is heading,'" Hill continued. "Drivers for this team haven't taken the top two spots in the championship since 1989, and a repeat of that achievement now looks somewhat doubtful. In this sport you always have to consider that events can unfold in the most unlikely way, and that's exactly what's happening now."