Oscar Piastri ‘isn’t invincible’ as Australian racing icon drops Norris claim

David Brabham, son of the legendary Australian Formula 1 champion Jack Brabham, has pointed out that Oscar Piastri no longer looks invincible following his errors at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Should Piastri be able to power through and secure the F1 2025 championship, he would join the inimitable Jack Brabham and Alan Jones as one of three title holders from Australia.

Brabham: Oscar Piastri mistakes a ‘surprise’ in Baku

Australia’s first Formula 1 World Champion, Jack Brabham, secured titles in the highest form of motorsport in 1959, 1960, and 1966. Since then, only one Australian driver, Alan Jones, has managed to bring WDC honors back home to the country — but in 2025, Oscar Piastri appears to be on track to achieve the same feat.

That is, if Piastri is able to prove that a middling race at Monza and an absolute disaster at Baku aren’t going to impact the remainder of his season.

Piastri finished third in the Italian Grand Prix, following just behind teammate Lando Norris in a 2-3 finish that saw the Australian driver cede some of his 34-point gap to his major title rival.

Things got even worse at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

More F1 analysis from PlanetF1.com:

👉 F1 uncovered: Hidden details from the Azerbaijan GP exposed

👉 The biggest gaps overturned in modern F1 history shows the improbable task for Verstappen

In qualifying, Piastri ended qualifying with his nose of his McLaren MCL39 buried in the wall at Baku City Circuit, leaving him to start no higher than ninth.

Then come race day, Piastri jumped the start, prompting his McLaren to initiate anti-stall just as the rest of the field scattered around him. He dropped all the way down to 20th before his day once again came to an early end following a crash into the barriers.

It was only a minor consolation that Norris could only start and finish the Grand Prix in seventh position, thereby preventing a major hemorrhaging of Piastri’s points gap.

So out of character was Piastri’s poor weekend that David Brabham, son of Jack Brabham, told RacingNews356 that “it was a surprise to see Oscar make such mistakes.

“I think this could give Lando hope; it shows that pressure is starting to build and that Oscar can be cracked after all.”

But for Brabham, hope is about all Norris can count on, as this downturn in Piastri’s performance is something that Norris “can’t fully control.”

If Norris wants a shot at the title, then, “he has to get the most out of himself, because that’s the only way he can beat Oscar,” Brabham argues.

Interestingly, the former driver also suggested that perhaps a shaky race like the one in Baku was actually a good thing.

“Oscar has made mistakes now,” Brabham argues. “Maybe that was even necessary.

“Now he can regroup, focus, and come back stronger for the rest of the season.”

Azerbaijan served as a stark reminder that even seemingly immaculate drivers like Piastri aren’t “invincible,” Brabham argues — but that only adds to the complexity of a season that has seen two teammates battling hard for every point.

“It’s going to be interesting, because we’ve seen that Oscar isn’t invincible,” Brabham summed up. “If Lando seizes his moments, everything can change.”

Read next: Juan Pablo Montoya claims vindication after ‘nobody’s seen before’ Oscar Piastri claim