Oscar Piastri addresses huge McLaren advantage over Max Verstappen

Oscar Piastri has highlighted the major advantages he feels McLaren has over Max Verstappen in the F1 title race. 

Whilst both Piastri and team-mate Lando Norris are in the title fight, Red Bull's only driver in the hunt is Verstappen, who has snatched two victories in Japan and at Imola. 

Verstappen finds himself 49 points behind championship leader Piastri after nine races, but he has played down his chances of winning a fifth straight title given Red Bull's car problems. 

Such a scenario of two drivers from one team facing off against one from another team is rare, but has happened in F1 history, with 1986 being the most famous example.

That year, Williams' duo Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet took points off each other despite having the constructors' championship-winning car, allowing McLaren's Alain Prost to sneak in and steal away the drivers' title, aided by Mansell's famous Australian GP tyre blowout. 

When questioned about the situation, Piastri felt the environment of having two drivers pushing McLaren forward was a major advantage.

"I mean, it helps in some situations," Piastri told media, including RacingNews365, of the two vs one battle.

"You don't have to balance both of the strategies; you can put all the attention on Max, but at the same time, Lando and I do gain something from having each other pushing.

"Max is obviously very experienced and very talented, but I do think that Lando and I have found some amount of lap-time by having a competitive team-mate, but that of course comes with its challenges as well. 

"Ultimately, we want to be fighting for a championship, beating everyone on the grid, and if you've got someone there pushing you, then whilst it gives you some challenges as a team and as a driver, it also increases your level, which is ultimately what you want."