Cruel McLaren call benches Piastri with title on a knife-edge

McLaren has made the call on which session Aussie Oscar Piastri will skip to fulfil his mandatory rookie practice requirement before the end of the season.

With options running out, Piastri is set to sit out the first free practice session (FP1) at the season finale in Abu Dhabi — the weekend the championship fight could reach its climax, and the winner will be crowned.

To help new talent gain track experience, Formula 1's regulations mandate that every driver who entered the season with more than two grands prix starts must yield their seat to a rookie driver for two FP1 sessions during the season.

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With just three rounds left in the season, Piastri has only yielded his car once, having sat out FP1 at the Italian Grand Prix.

McLaren has now confirmed that Piastri will be in action for the first practice session in Las Vegas on Thursday (AEDT).

With the following Qatar Grand Prix being a sprint weekend — and therefore featuring only one practice session with that format — McLaren's only remaining option for the rookie takeover is the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

As Piastri attempts to claw back his deficit to papaya teammate Lando Norris in the drivers' championship, missing a practice session at the final race weekend is far from ideal, especially if the battle comes down to the wire.

The free practice sessions allow teams and drivers to collect crucial data and optimise their car's setup for the unique conditions of that specific circuit before qualifying and the grand prix.

Therefore, while Piastri watches from the pit wall as likely rookie Pato O'Ward completes laps of the Yas Marina Circuit in his McLaren, Norris and fellow rival Max Verstappen will have a valuable extra hour on track.

Several other drivers are yet to fulfil their team's mandatory rookie sessions, but Piastri is the only one of them still fighting for the championship.

Despite trailing teammate Norris by 24 points in the drivers' standings, McLaren expects Piastri to regain his form over the final three races of the season.

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown backed Piastri, expressing confidence in his mental fortitude and ability to rebound in the season's final races.

"Oscar's definitely fighting back," he said.

"I think one of his greatest strengths is [that] he just gets in the zone."

But Brown was equally confident in Norris, as the British driver also chases his maiden F1 title.

"I've never seen Lando in a better place," he said.

For Piastri to have a shot at the championship, he would need to win every remaining race while Norris finishes third or lower in all of them.

Conversely, Norris does not need any more race wins: three second-place finishes would be enough for him to secure the title.