Jacques Villeneuve has voiced his worry that Oscar Piastri will not be able to "recover" from his poor run of form, given how "tired" the drivers will be at this stage of the F1 season.
The Australian has seen his F1 drivers' championship lead wiped out over the past five rounds.
Having once led Lando Norris by 34 points after the Dutch Grand Prix, his McLaren team-mate is now one point ahead in the standings.
Adding to the concern for the nine-time F1 drivers' champion is the external and increasing threat of Max Verstappen, who has brought down his arrears to Piastri from 104 points to just 35 in that same period.
Now, with four grand prix — and two sprints — remaining, the 24-year-old must find some way to arrest his torrid run of performance.
Speaking on Sky Sports F1, Villeneuve pointed out the immediate danger facing Piastri's precarious situation at the next round in Sao Paulo.
The 1997 F1 drivers' champion said: "Piastri lost the lead of the championship, Max got a few points closer and next is a race Max loves [Brazil]. It could rain, it could be mayhem."
McLaren team principal expects Piastri to produce better results in the coming events, having had to survive his way through consecutive races at low-grip circuits, conditions that do not play into his driving style.
He has needed to adapt, and whilst he could only finish fifth in both grands prix, Stella feels Piastri turned a corner ahead of the 71-lap race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, having started from seventh and dropped to ninth before working his way back up the order.
Nonetheless, Villeneuve has questions over whether Piastri will be able to completely turn things around.
"It’s not the right time to have low form. The drivers are tired, the season is long," the Canadian stated in warning.
"When you have a problem like this earlier in the season, you are full of energy, you recover, you have the summer break.
"Now you don’t. You’re just gruelling, tired, and it’s tough."
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