McLaren look to be on track for both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships in 2025, but things behind the scenes aren’t quite as smooth as they might seem, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris locked in a close title fight.
The two drivers have put McLaren in a strong position early in the season. Piastri currently leads the standings with 234 points, just ahead of Norris on 226 after 12 of the scheduled 24 rounds.
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Norris took advantage of a penalty to Piastri to win at Silverstone, increasing his total and pushing McLaren further ahead. They now have 460 points to Ferrari’s 222, while Max Verstappen sits third in the drivers’ standings.
Oscar Piastri has opened up about a “frustrating” moment with Lando Norris at McLaren
Piastri received a three-place grid penalty during qualifying for impeding Nico Hülkenberg. It was his second such penalty this season, following another at Imola earlier in the campaign.
Piastri still managed to finish fourth after starting from seventh. Despite crossing the line third on track, he was later penalised for an incident involving George Russell, dropping him one place post-race.
Piastri stayed out longer than Norris during the opening stint as both looked to manage their tyres before switching strategies. The longer first stint helped him gain places over Verstappen and Sainz but wasn’t enough to catch Norris over the full distance.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are fighting for more than just pole positions at McLaren
With both drivers so close in performance throughout this F1 season – Piastri has three wins against four for Norris – team orders were always likely to come into play at some point. Speaking after Silverstone, team principal Andrea Stella didn’t confirm whether those instructions had been issued yet but made it clear that results will come first if one driver gains a significant advantage later in the year.
Piastri has chosen not to run the updated front suspension geometry, saying it doesn’t offer enough improvement over the configuration he’s been using. While he admits the new version “makes some things better,” he also feels it compromises other areas.
Norris and Piastri face off in Belgium Grand Prix title fight
Norris opted for McLaren’s updated front suspension after struggling with feel and control while using Piastri’s preferred setup earlier in this year. The switch paid off, helping him secure wins at both Austria and Britain.
The gap between them in points is only eight ahead of their next race at Spa-Francorchamps on July 27th. With heavy rain expected there again this year like last season when Verstappen took pole position despite being five-tenths slower than Russell under dry conditions earlier in qualifying – consistency could be key once more.
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