Less than two months ago, Oscar Piastri had a single hand on the Formula 1 driver's championship with a healthy lead over his rivals.
With victory in the Netherlands on August 31, the Australian extended his lead over McLaren team-mate Norris to 34 points, while the winner of the last four titles - Max Verstappen - was 104 points off the pace.
Five races later, a fifth-place in Mexico has seen Piastri slip to second behind race winner Norris in the driver's championship, with Verstappen now looming menacingly after a late-season surge.
With four races remaining in Brazil (Nov 9), Las Vegas (Nov 22), Qatar (Nov 30) and Abu Dhabi (Dec 7), can Piastri steady his plummeting form and mount another title charge?
MORE: Mexico Grand Prix: Oscar Piastri loses championship lead as Lando Norris wins easy
AllSportsPeople looks at how Piastri's lead evaporated over a five-race, two-month period.
Oscar Piastri's Formula 1 title lead crumbles
Italy Grand Prix - September 7
| Driver | Pts before race | Sprint pts | Race pts | Pts after race |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | 309 | N/A | 15 | 324 |
| Lando Norris (McLaren) | 275 (-34) | N/A | 18 | 293 (-31) |
| Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) | 205 (-104) | N/A | 25 | 230 (-96) |
Verstappen won his first race since Emilia-Romagna in May, with Norris coming in second and Piastri third.
The Australian passed Norris into second during the race because of a McLaren pit-stop error, with the team asking Piastri to let his team-mate back past because of the mistake.
Piastri conceded three points to Norris and 10 to Verstappen but was still comfortably in the lead of the driver's championship.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix - September 21
| Driver | Pts before race | Sprint pts | Race pts | Pts after race |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | 324 | N/A | 0 | 324 |
| Lando Norris (McLaren) | 293 (-31) | N/A | 6 | 299 (-25) |
| Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) | 230 (-96) | N/A | 25 | 255 (-69) |
Disaster for Piastri as he crashes out on the opening lap, while Verstappen wins his second race in succession.
Norris failed to take advantage of Piastri's misfortune, finishing seventh and only managing to gain six points.
Verstappen was still 69 points behind Piastri despite winning the last two races.
Singapore Grand Prix - October 5
| Driver | Pts before race | Sprint pts | Race pts | Pts after race |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | 324 | N/A | 12 | 336 |
| Lando Norris (McLaren) | 299 (-25) | N/A | 15 | 314 (-22) |
| Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) | 255 (-69) | N/A | 18 | 273 (-63) |
George Russell wins the Singapore Grand Prix, with Verstappen second, Norris third and Piastri fourth.
This show the Aussie drop three points to Norris and six to Verstappen.
Piastri's lead in the championship was cut to 22 points ahead of Norris, while Verstappen was still 66 behind.
The Australian was unhappy after Norris clipped Verstappen and banged wheels for Piastri, allowing the Brit past his team-mate.
United States Grand Prix - October 20
| Driver | Pts before race | Sprint pts | Race pts | Pts after race |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | 336 | 0 | 10 | 346 |
| Lando Norris (McLaren) | 314 (-22) | 0 | 18 | 332 (-14) |
| Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) | 273 (-63) | 8 | 25 | 306 (-40) |
A third win in four races for Verstappen - plus eight points in the Sprint - saw the Dutchman close to 40 points behind Piastri.
Norris finished second and moved to only 14 points off the lead as Piastri came in fifth.
Mexico Grand Prix - October 27
| Driver | Pts before race | Sprint pts | Race pts | Pts after race |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lando Norris (McLaren) | 332 | N/A | 25 | 357 |
| Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | 346 (-14) | N/A | 10 | 356 (-1) |
| Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) | 306 (-40) | N/A | 15 | 321 (-36) |
Norris wins in Mexico and he takes the championship lead after Piastri could only finish fifth.
Verstappen stays in the hunt with his third-place finish meaning he is 36 points behind Norris.