Sky Sports Formula 1 analyst and former driver Martin Brundle has argued that the Azerbaijan Grand Prix could have "scattered" Oscar Piastri's brain.
In an intense championship fight with his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris, the Australian driver suffered a torrid weekend in Baku. After crashing into the wall in qualifying, leaving him with a ninth-place starting position, he jumped the start of the race before crashing at Turn 5 of the opening lap.
Since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Piastri has failed to finish on the podium with a fourth-place finish in Singapore and fifth-place finishes in Austin and Mexico. The Mexico Grand Prix saw Norris overtake Piastri in the championship standings to lead by just one point heading into the Brazilian Grand Prix.
"And obviously, Baku would have scattered his brain," Brundle explained during the Sky Sports F1 Show. "That was a very difficult weekend for him with twice in the barriers and the jump-start, and it seems to have gone off the rails.
"Without sitting down and talking to Oscar, it's difficult to be fully accurate on this point, but I'm sure McLaren are checking the chassis, the aerodynamics, the fit, the set-up of that car ad infinitum to make sure [everything is correct].
"I really, honestly believe McLaren don't mind which of their two drivers wins the world championship, as long as it's one of them and it's not Max Verstappen. It's super important to them. Something's happened in Oscar's head."
In contrast to Piastri, Red Bull's Max Verstappen has seen a strong boost in performance following the summer break. In the last five race weekends, the Dutchman has won the Italian, Azerbaijan and the United States Grands Prix along with winning the sprint race in Austin and finishing second in Singapore and third in Mexico.
The four-time champion has closed the gap to the championship leader to just 36 points.
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