McLaren’s Lando Norris feels he’s becoming more of a threat to Oscar Piastri as he looks to keep momentum going in their title battle by winning at the 2025 Belgian GP on Sunday, July 27 as the pair react to the controversial British GP.
The Brit’s victory at his home race in Silverstone puts him back to within striking distance of his Australian colleague, and he can now reasonably assume control at the summit of the drivers’ championship for the first time since Bahrain GP back in April.
Not only was the performance good in terms of winning his home race and closing up in the standings, but it also signalled once again that he is beginning to understand how to drive the MCL39 in what was his third triumph in five races.
This has dramatically shifted his poor form that saw him claim one win from seven prior to Monaco, whilst his teammate managed to triumph in four of them and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took two victories.
And as a result, Norris now feels as though he’s becoming a threat in the championship fight once again as he looks to continue seizing momentum away from his colleague at the 2025 Belgian GP as he reacts to his title battle with Piastri.
“I feel like I climbed a little bit back to where I was,” Norris said to media. “The most positive thing from those two weekends was just that the pace was better from the off, and I was more comfortable with the car and in understanding how to get the most pace from it.
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“At times that brings more of a smile to my face than just winning the race itself because it’s progress, it’s seeing progress and that’s always a very good thing. It’s a very rewarding thing.
“But I still know that there’s still more I need to get. There’s still more things. I feel better than what I did. So, do I feel more confident that I can have more performances like that? Yes.
“Do I feel as good as I still felt last season and that I’m performing at the same level consistently enough? I would still say no. I have more understanding of everything now.
“But we’re talking minute things, like incredibly small gains here and there. I feel more of a threat now. But am I happy enough still with where I’m at, where the car is, and my harmony with the car? It’s still not to the level that I want.”
Piastri reacts to F1 title battle with Norris ahead of 2025 Belgian GP
For Piastri, he comes into this weekend with an element of frustration hanging over his head following the British GP, where an erratic braking incident under the safety car saw him land a 10-second time penalty and ultimately finish second.
What seemed set to be his championship lead growing to 22 points actually saw it cut down to single-digit figures as a usually freakishly composed 24-year-old showed signs he could finally be feeling the pressure of chasing destiny through verbal frustration.
However, ahead of the weekend at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, he appears to have reset mentally and is upbeat about the prospect of chasing down the title in his battle with Norris, despite his now-slender advantage.
“I’m looking forward to the rest of the year and especially this weekend,” Piastri said to F1 TV. “It is my favourite track over the years.
“The first half of the year has gone well, better in many ways than we could have hoped for so I’m excited for the second part of the season. I had plenty of time to analyse [the Silverstone penalty] with the team and we went through everything.
“I feel I understand where things are out with that. But I feel I am in a good place, while I have lost points the last two weekends, I think the pace ultimately has been strong. Austria, the pace on Sunday was strong, it was a tough battle.
“Silverstone, apart from the penalty I feel it was a strong weekend and a strong race. I’d be more concerned if I felt I was struggling, but I feel I am in a really good place with the car and the team.”
