2025 Race 21 - Brazil

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Originally Posted by Steve Boyd

I wonder if it is psychological.

Lando was very flaky in the second half of last season when he was in a close fight for his first F1 title and Oscar looked a lot stronger. Now Oscar is experiencing the same pressure for the first time in F1 and Lando seems to have learned from last season’s experience.

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What you say is possible. He doesn't seem like someone that is easily phased by pressure though. I know the run in for a title fight is different but while the odd mistake would be understandable, the lack of pace is the biggest concern.

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Originally Posted by The Black Knight

What you say is possible. He doesn't seem like someone that is easily phased by pressure though. I know the run in for a title fight is different but while the odd mistake would be understandable, the lack of pace is the biggest concern.

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I think the upgrades have taken the car away from Oscar's preferences. Just as the initial design of the car favoured Oscar and not Norris. Somehow, McLaren is unable to build a car that suits both drivers perfectly. It is very hard to achieve that. That is a quality you would only find at Mercedes, even though they struggle with it sometimes.

Is Oscar done? I don't think so. There are clear signs that he has adapted to the current car. Las Vegas is his very best chance to cut the gap down. If he fails to do so, chances are the championship is lost to him. I have a sneaky suspicion that this would run to the wire. And it would cause a real headache for the McLaren management, to the point that any favouritism would become clear in the end.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Black Knight

What you say is possible. He doesn't seem like someone that is easily phased by pressure though. I know the run in for a title fight is different but while the odd mistake would be understandable, the lack of pace is the biggest concern.

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I think the upgrades have taken the car away from Oscar's preferences. Just as the initial design of the car favoured Oscar and not Norris. Somehow, McLaren is unable to build a car that suits both drivers perfectly. It is very hard to achieve that. That is a quality you would only find at Mercedes, even though they struggle with it sometimes.

Is Oscar done? I don't think so. There are clear signs that he has adapted to the current car. Las Vegas is his very best chance to cut the gap down. If he fails to do so, chances are the championship is lost to him. I have a sneaky suspicion that this title battle would run to the wire. And it would cause a real headache for the McLaren management, to the point that any favouritism would become clear in the end.

It surprises me that there is not much said about how awful the stewarding has been this season. They seem to get progressively season by season. Poor Oscar!