Portugal Colonial - Piastri confirms McLaren 'clean slate' after Texas tussle

The title rivals, separated by 14 points with five Grands Prix remaining, crashed out during last Saturday's sprint race at the United States Grand Prix – an accident that resulted in Piastri accepting some of the blame.

"We review every weekend regardless of what's happened," he said.

"I think there is a degree of responsibility on my side for the sprint and we are starting this weekend with a clean slate for both of us. So, just going out racing."

McLaren had previously judged Norris to have been responsible for their collision in Singapore and told him he faced "repercussions" that would be exercised by the team.

These have now been cancelled, giving both McLaren men a freedom to fight for the title and resist the late charge of four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who is third, 40 points behind Piastri after three wins in four races.

"The consequences on Lando's side have been removed," said Piastri, speaking to reporters at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

"There’s a lot of factors involved, but ultimately, yes, that’s what has been decided."

A calm Piastri said he felt confident he could defend his shrinking lead in the title race as Norris and Verstappen close in and referred to his three title triumphs in junior series including F3 and F2 as valuable experiences.

"Yes, the gap has shrunk a bit in the last few races," he said, when asked about the pressure from his rivals.

"But for me I have to focus on being as fast as I can and having good weekends. That's all I am focussed on and if I stay on top of that the rest of it doesn’t matter.

"I prefer to be the hunted than the hunter. Both have positives and negatives and I know everyone likes the underdog comeback story, but I would rather lead because then I know I’ve been doing something right."

Asked about the long run to the first corner at the start, Piastri admitted it was likely to be a key part of Sunday's race.

"It's tough to have that long run, but ultimately it's about making the right decisions and trusting your instincts. Deal with the situation that you’ve got. There’s no magic formula!"

Equally, he said he was not thinking about Verstappen’s form and experience.

"No, I don’t think about it. He’s been consistent and strong, yes, there’s no denying that, but there is no benefit for me in thinking about that. For me, it’s about myself, my car and my team.

"I've won championships in the past and have those to look back on so I know I can pull it off."

T.Vitorino--PC