The derby continues
Lando Norris’s win in Monaco has further intensified the internal McLaren battle in the 2025 title race. After claiming victory in the Principality – his second of the season – Norris closed to within just three points of his teammate Oscar Piastri, who finished third on Sunday and still leads the standings. Such a small gap between first and second in the standings after eight GPs is rare: the last time it happened was in 2010, the debut year of the current points system that awards 25 points for a win.
That season, also marked by fierce competition between Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari for the title, it was once again the two McLaren drivers leading the championship after the eighth GP. Lewis Hamilton was in front with 109 points, followed by Jenson Button with 106. Behind them, just as now, was a Red Bull: today it’s Verstappen, 25 points off the lead; back then it was Mark Webber, only six points behind.
Beware of third parties
The eventual world champion that year, Sebastian Vettel, was only fifth in the standings at that point, although just 19 points off leader Hamilton. It’s striking to note that not even the fierce Lewis Hamilton-Nico Rosberg rivalry during Mercedes’s dominant years, nor the intense 2021 battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, featured such a narrow margin at this stage of the season.
However, we’re only a third into the season now, with 16 GPs and four Sprint races still to go. Anything can happen, and the papaya duo must stay alert: the precedent from 2010 shows that even those currently playing the role of outsider can end up stealing the spotlight. One statistical detail might please Oscar Piastri though: in 14 seasons under the current points system, the driver leading after eight GPs has gone on to win the championship 10 times. The last of the four exceptions was in 2017, when Sebastian Vettel – then leading after eight races – was ultimately beaten by Lewis Hamilton.
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