Lando Norris currently leads teammate Oscar Piastri by 24 points in the drivers’ championship and is now aiming to secure his first Formula 1 title. With both McLaren drivers chasing their maiden F1 championship, the British driver could be the closest to achieving his dream.
Due to a strategic decision made by the team this season, a margin may have emerged between the two papaya cars that could allow Norris to beat his teammate at the end of the year, even if Piastri finishes ahead in every race. This, however, relies on the excellent form shown recently by car number 4 and the assumption that he never finishes lower than second place in the remaining events in Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.
The safety margin
After an excellent performance in Brazil, Lando Norris further consolidated his lead in the drivers’ standings and could be in control of the championship. The British driver now has 390 points compared to Piastri’s 366, a lead roughly equivalent to one race win, with 83 points still available until the end of the season.
Those 83 points will be distributed across the last three weekends if maximum points are scored, including the remaining Sprint race. According to analysis reported by RacingNews365, given the 24-point advantage, Lando Norris could mathematically secure the title without winning any of the remaining events.
If Piastri were to win the Las Vegas GP, the Sprint, the Qatar GP, and the Abu Dhabi GP, but his teammate finished in second place in all of them, Norris would still win the 2025 drivers’ title. If the Australian claimed all remaining points, he would reach 449 points. If Norris finished P2 in all events, he would total 451 points, beating his teammate by two points at the end of the year.
If all this were to occur, attention would return to one key event: the Italian GP, where McLaren instructed Oscar Piastri to let Lando Norris pass after a slow pit stop. Following the memory of car number 4 retiring due to reliability issues in Zandvoort, McLaren took responsibility for the slow pit stop in Italy and decided to correct the error with a swap.
After some protest, the Australian gave up the position, creating an actual points gap between the two drivers. This event generated the safety margin of six points: Lando Norris gained three points, while Oscar Piastri lost three in the swap.
However, considering the perfect form displayed by the championship leader, it would not be surprising to see him victorious in Las Vegas as well. Nevertheless, Oscar Piastri will undoubtedly do everything possible to snatch victory from his teammate, promising a thrilling title battle for fans to enjoy.
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