After the first four races of the Formula 1 season, the biggest variable affecting the 2025 world championship standings remains the puddle that Norris and Piastri encountered at the entrance of Turn 12 at the Melbourne circuit, with fifteen laps to go in the Australian Grand Prix. On that occasion, Lando kept his cool and managed to control the car, while Oscar did not. That incident gave Norris a 23-point gain over his teammate—without it, the current scenario would look very different.
Piastri has since turned the page, winning two of the following three races and becoming the first two-time winner of the season. Norris still leads the championship, but his margin over Oscar has shrunk to three points, and more importantly, Lando is now well aware that the MCL39 seems to suit his younger teammate just a bit better. That “bit” could be the variable that decides the championship fight, because Norris can no longer rely on Oscar making errors—Oscar showed in Bahrain that he’s now performing like a rock-solid top driver.
Piastri made his victory at the Sakhir circuit look easy. McLaren was clearly the best car, and Oscar made the most of the pole position he secured on Saturday. “Clean air is king,” Piastri told his engineer over the radio last year at Spa as he tried to make up positions on Norris.
Now the situation is reversed: in Sakhir, Oscar was able to run his race in clean air, managing the gap to Russell’s Mercedes and pushing only when needed. After the safety car-triggered pit stop, George Russell attempted to pressure the McLaren with a set of soft tyres versus Oscar’s mediums, but one lap—lap 36, the fastest of the race—was enough for Piastri to push Russell out of DRS range and cruise away with metronomic consistency.
With lower temperatures (track surface stayed at 31°C throughout the race), McLaren’s potential was slightly reduced, but at the moment, no rival team can truly challenge the team led by Zak Brown and Andrea Stella. The 1-2 finish slipped away due to a combination of factors: Norris’ error at the start (which cost him 5 seconds), the safety car that nullified strategies, and the MCL39’s one weakness—its top speed, crucial when needing to recover positions. Still, Lando’s 15 points are valuable in the title race, especially considering his qualifying result.
However, Norris will need something more to keep his world championship hopes intact. The step forward made by his teammate has significantly shifted the team’s internal balance of power, and now Lando seems to be the one struggling more. It’s all about the small details: one lock-up too many, a Q3 slip-up, an overly aggressive attack. No major blunders, but in the face of a Piastri who currently seems immune to mishaps, every little thing becomes crucial, every detail makes the difference between a win and a second (or third) place. Norris knows this all too well—he spent two years in reversed roles, when it was Piastri paying the price for youthful mistakes that added up in the standings. But Oscar has matured quickly—and significantly. In the paddock, he is now considered the favorite to win the 2025 world championship.
Leave a Reply