The 2025 Formula 1 season is shaping up excellently when it comes to the Drivers’ Championship battle, but with 20 races still to go, it is anyone’s guess as to who will be champion at Yas Marina in December, though many predict a fight between McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
The young duo have won three of the first four races of the 2025 F1 season between them, with Piastri becoming the first double winner of the year when he took the chequered flag at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen took the fight to the McLaren‘s in the first three races and won the Japanese GP, but his struggles in the Red Bull in Bahrain led to a sixth-placed finish and the first hint that the four-time world champion might not be a consistent challenger to the McLaren‘s. A championship battle between two teammates leads to a special level of drama, and that is what could be in store for McLaren with Piastri and Norris in 2025.
Piastri admits it will be tight
When asked by the media, including Total-Motorsport.com, about whether Bahrain is where the championship fight between himself and Norris really began, Piastri admitted that he felt it began at the season opener in Melbourne.
“I mean, I thought it started from Melbourne, to be honest. But yeah, it’s still so early. I think at the moment we’ve got a great car underneath us. I feel like for the most part we’ve been able to do a good job with it. I mean, I think we’re in the positions we should be in. I think it’s going to be a tight battle,” Piastri said.
The Australian also pointed out that it is not necessarily just between the two McLaren‘s, but did admit that it is not clear which driver will end up being their closest challenger yet given George Russell was second in Bahrain and has three podiums from four races.
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“I think there are going to be other contenders. What we’ve seen at the moment is… We’ve not had a consistent challenger week in, week out. It’s kind of been somebody different, which from the championship point of view makes life difficult for others. But yeah, I think it’s going to be a tight year, definitely. And I think as long as we have the best car, it’s going to be tight between Lando and I,” he said.
Norris hopes to only be fighting Piastri
Lando Norris got a tough reminder of how fine the margins could prove to be in the title fight this season. He accidentally moved ahead of his grid box before the Bahrain GP and received a five-second penalty. Having ended the race just a tenth behind Russell, it is clear where he missed out on some important points.
The British driver explained that he would prefer it if Piastri is the only driver he is fighting, saying: “I think we knew coming into this season – us as a team knew it before the season – that we were going to have some close moments between us and some good fights. And I’m sure we’re going to have more later this year, which I think we’re both excited for.
“So we have to keep working hard as a team to keep ourselves ahead of the rest. Because I’m sure we both prefer if it’s just me and him – between us and no one else. As a team, we’d prefer that. It’d probably make our lives easier as a whole. So we’re not forgetting that the competition is close. Yes, we’ve got the best car on the grid and things like this, but one mistake – and I paid the price yesterday. One tenth and I would’ve been second on the grid today, so it’s frustrating. But it’s close and it’s competitive, and I think that’s a great thing for the sport.
“But we have to keep working hard as a team. I don’t think we’ve ever let that thought go – with how close some of the previous qualifying sessions have been. With Max on pole, with George only a tenth and a half off yesterday.
“It’s easy to not do a perfect lap and then not be on pole still. It’s not like we can just cruise around and everything’s groovy. So, we have to keep working hard, and I think we’re excited for the competition between us.”
