The Australian must finish in the top two on Sunday and rely on results swinging sharply in his favour, with a 16-point deficit to Norris and four points to Verstappen making him the outsider in the three-way fight.
But after securing third on the grid, Piastri remained upbeat about his chances, drawing inspiration from past title shocks and his own experience of fighting for titles in junior categories.
Asked in the post-qualifying press conference what lessons he brings into the finale, he said: “Funny things can happen. That’s what I’ve learned.”
Piastri was satisfied with his qualifying effort after a quieter start to the weekend, describing the result as representative of McLaren’s true pace over one lap.
Verstappen ultimately proved out of reach with a commanding pole, while Norris edged Piastri by just three hundredths.
“I think overall, pretty happy,” Piastri said about his qualifying.
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“I feel like Q1, that was the first lap that was actually good for the weekend, which was nice to have it at the right time.
“And then I think the laps in Q3 were pretty good as well… I didn’t have an answer for Max’s pace today.
“So ultimately, pretty happy. Would have loved a bit more, but we didn’t have it.”
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He noted his best lap “was pretty good” but conceded he was “just not quite quick enough today, but it sets up a pretty exciting day tomorrow.”
With Verstappen looking especially strong in long-run simulations and Norris consistently quick throughout the weekend, Piastri acknowledged that his title hopes realistically depend on the race unfolding in unexpected ways.
From third on the grid, he believes the opening laps will matter but stopped short of planning any desperate moves.
“From where I’m sat, I need things to happen in the race to win the championship,” he said.
“So, I’ll wait and see if those things happen.”
His long-run picture remains uncertain after limited mileage earlier in the weekend.
“I’ve not done that much long running,” he admitted.
“It looked okay without being anything spectacular.
“So yeah, I would have loved the long runs to have gone a bit better, but we’re here now, and we’ll see how the conditions and the track evolve.”
While Piastri lines up as the underdog, McLaren’s leadership insists the team is well placed to fight, with both drivers starting directly behind Verstappen and separated by just 0.029s in qualifying.
Team principal Andrea Stella said the margins between the pair have defined the entire season.
“Having Oscar and Lando so close is the story of the season,” Stella told SkySportsF1.
“This qualifying is symbolic of what’s been a very, very close performance between Oscar and Lando and it’s fair, and it’s good that they are both here fighting for the championship, and in a good position to do so.”
Stella accepted that Red Bull and Verstappen had an edge in pure qualifying pace, but stressed that McLaren executed strongly under intense pressure.
“Verstappen and Red Bull had one or two tenths more than us today. So fair enough that they are in pole position,” he said.
“[I’m] happy with the performance, I think Oscar and Lando managed to extract what was available in the car today.”
Crucially, Stella views the grid outcome as leaving McLaren in control of its own destiny.
“It’s in our hands, but we need to deliver tomorrow,” he said, adding that execution rather than raw speed is likely to decide the championship.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown echoed that sentiment, forecasting a dramatic title showdown between the three contenders.
“It’s definitely game on,” he told Viaplay.
“It’s going to be an epic race tomorrow. Top three guys in the championship, one, two and three on the grid.”
Brown said he was unsurprised by Verstappen’s late surge despite a scruffy practice day.
“Not shocked, but yeah, he didn’t show his hand… he’s a four-time world champion, so when he needed to put the lap time down, he did.”
Even so, Brown feels McLaren are in the mix and capable of delivering the required performance.
“Let’s see what the race brings tomorrow,” he said.
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