David Coulthard won't attempt to pinpoint the reasons for Oscar Piastri's alarming slump, saying anything from mental fatigue to car issues could be the problem.
But McLaren's equal-most experienced driver is backing Piastri to bounce back and foot it with championship leader Lando Norris and Red Bull heavyweight Max Verstappen at the penultimate Qatar Grand Prix.
The title hunt is delicately poised after a dramatic ending to last week's Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Verstappen closed in on the McLaren pair after the duo were disqualified for excessive plank wear.
Four-time champion Verstappen had produced a flawless drive to win in Las Vegas and move to equal second alongside Piastri in the standings, just 24 points behind Norris.
Kiwi F1 driver Liam Lawson finished the Vegas GP in 16th, after opening lap contact with Piastri damaged his car and caused him to tumble down the order.
Lawson currently sits 14th in the World Driver's Standings, mathematically out of contention for the title.
Australian racer Piastri's hopes for a maiden title are improbable, but not impossible, with 58 points up for grabs across the final two races and sprint.
A grand prix victory is worth 25 points, while a sprint race win can net eight points.
Piastri had led the championship by a season-high 34 points following the Dutch Grand Prix in August but has failed to finish on the podium in his past six races.
The 24-year-old, managed by Australia's former F1 driver Mark Webber, has struggled to recapture his early-season form since crashing out on the opening lap at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
But Red Bull ambassador David Coulthard doesn't doubt Piastri has the quality.
"Oscar was a great talent, no question," Coulthard told AAP.
"I feel the way he filled in where he was lacking a bit last year in quality relative to Lando, that's what built him a big championship campaign this year.
"He was qualifying well, and that gave him ownership.
"Mark Webber's a buddy, but I would never compromise him by asking the straight question, 'What the hell is going on?'
"I'm hoping whatever it is that Oscar's been struggling with the last few races, somehow magically sorts itself and he can go toe-to-toe with Lando and Max in the final two races."
Norris will this weekend overtake Coulthard for the most grand prix starts at McLaren, with the duo both reaching 150.
Coulthard won 12 races with the Woking outfit and was Mika Hakkinen's teammate for his titles in 1998 and 1999.
The Scot's best chance for a championship came in 2000 when he was within two points of Michael Schumacher with six races to go, before failing to win again.
Piastri could soon find himself in a similar position after a late-season fade, with the added likelihood of watching his teammate Norris take the title.
"Maybe it's mental fatigue," Coulthard said.
"Maybe the car's evolved with some upgrades and, although it's improved the performance in terms of lap time, it's taken away the balance that Oscar likes.
"It could be a number of different things. We don't know right now, but we're going to find out."
Verstappen, searching for a fifth-straight title, also remains an outside chance, but Coulthard believes any prediction on how the championship race could be decided will be premature.
"Oh my God, to try and predict anything at this stage [is too hard]," Coulthard said.
"The championship is favouring Lando right now.
"It's possible [for Verstappen] ... it's probably unlikely, but not impossible."
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