Oscar Piastri admits Max Verstappen's re-emergence in F1 title race is bit of a surprise'

"Norris trails Piastri by just 14 points with five meetings remaining but Verstappen, who was 104 points off after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, has won three of the last four races and is now only 40 points off the lead. After his comprehensive victory at the last round in Austin, Verstappen acknowledged that he was well and truly back in the contest."

"However, Piastri insisted he remained confident despite the world champion's run of form. The gap has shrunk a bit in the last few races but the focus has always been on going as fast as I can, he said. I'd rather have the lead than be in any other spot. There is no benefit for me in worrying about that or focusing on that."

"I've won championships very late, very early, he said. Now, this one, of course, is very different because I think for most of the season, it was a lot harder for us. To be honest with you, to still be in this fight is very surprising. Now we need to be perfect but for me, it's just positive pressure. I'm loving what I'm doing."

Oscar Piastri said he was surprised by Max Verstappen's late charge into a three-way title fight. Piastri and teammate Lando Norris enter the Mexican Grand Prix free to race each other with a clean slate. Norris trails Piastri by 14 points with five meetings remaining while Verstappen, who was 104 points adrift in August, has won three of the last four races and is now 40 points behind the lead. Piastri has not finished ahead of Verstappen in the past four rounds but remains confident and focused on extracting maximum pace. Verstappen described his comeback as surprising and motivating.

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