Lando Norris currently holds a 16-point lead over his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri heading into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. Max Verstappen sits between them, trailing Norris by 12 points.
Even if Piastri were to win the race, Norris would only need a fifth-place finish to secure the title, making Piastri very much an outside shot at this point.
Piastri was in control earlier this season after winning the Dutch Grand Prix while Norris retired with a mechanical issue, holding a 34-point advantage at that stage. But that remains his last win of the campaign.
He had gone six races – eight if you include Sprints – without finishing on the podium between Azerbaijan and Las Vegas. He did break that stretch in Qatar but it may have come too late, especially with McLaren’s strategic mistake costing him crucial points.
Lando Norris confident he’s improving as 2025 campaign continues
During Piastri’s drop in form, Norris has arguably put together his finest run of form as an F1 driver. Over the four weekends in the Americas, he notched four pole positions and three victories.
Had the two McLaren drivers not been disqualified in Vegas for excessive plank wear, he would have been crowned as world champion in Qatar.
Norris told The Athletic: “I feel like I’ve gotten better with time, not worse, like you might expect for some people.”
Norris was somewhat inconsistent at the start of the season. He missed out on the top five in three of the first six qualifying sessions and crashed out during Q3 in Saudi Arabia.
Perhaps the lowest point of his season was the Canadian GP when he tagged Piastri and found himself facing a barrier. But since then, he has outscored his teammate by 38 points and claimed five of McLaren’s seven race wins.
‘I’m pretending I’m still second,’ says Norris as he tries to keep the pressure off
In the end, that’s what separates the two McLaren drivers right now. One has timed his form perfectly, while the other has stumbled just when it mattered most.
The team believes Piastri’s issues come down to his style behind the wheel, pointing out that he still struggles on circuits with less grip. They took his improved showing in Qatar as proof of this point.
Norris hasn’t changed his approach since moving ahead in Mexico. He’s still trying to keep the mindset of a driver playing catch-up.
“I’m trying to treat it like I’m not fighting for a championship,” he said. “That I’m like, this weekend is just another race, almost trying to pretend that I’m still second in the championship and trying to catch up to first. Because I think I understand how easily it can affect you.”
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