The battle for the title of F1 2025: Why Piastri finds it easier to compete against Norris than against Verstappen

In the 2025 season of Formula 1, the fight for the pilot championship has taken an unexpected course. McLaren, with his dominant performance, has placed his two pilots, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, at the top of the classification, leaving behind the Tetrampeon Max Verstappen. With only eight points separating teammates after the first 12 of the 24 rounds, the internal battle in McLaren has become the center of attention. But what makes this rivalry so intriguing? Oscar Piastri, the young Australian who leads the championship, has recently revealed why he finds it easier to face his teammate, Lando Norris, than to the formidable Verstappen. His words offer a fascinating perspective about the dynamics of this contest and what it means to compete at the highest level.

Piastri, who became the first Australian to lead the championship from Mark Webber in 2010, explained that facing Norris has unique advantages due to the transparency of data within the team. “It is easier to handle a fight for the title when you are competing against a teammate, because you can see what he is doing with the car,” said Pastri. This ability to analyze Norris’s telemetry data allows Piastri to adjust your approach, identify improvement areas and optimize your track performance. In contrast, when it competed against Verstappen, Red Bull’s strategies and configurations remained out of reach, which made it more difficult to anticipate the movements of the Dutch.

The 2025 season has been a turning point for McLaren, which has dominated the grill thanks to a superior car and an impeccable execution. Piestri leads with 234 points, while Norris follows him closely with 226. Verstappen, who looks for his fifth consecutive title, is 69 Piestri points, a gap that seems insurmountable unless a miracle in the style of Alain Prost occurs in 1986. The advantage of McLaren is so pronounced that even a clash between Piastri and Norris Canada did not stop his impulse. This incident, where Norris crashed into the back of the Piastri car, tested the relationship between the two, but also highlighted the team’s strength. Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, said that both pilots will be treated “in a equitable and fair way”, allowing them to compete freely while respecting the rules of the team.

Pastri’s perspective on rivalry with Norris reveals a cold and calculator mentality, a quality that many experts, such as Jenson Button, have praised. Button described Piastri as “the worst teammate” for Norris, not due to lack of companionship, but because it is “impossible to destabilize.” This composure has been evident in key moments of the season, as in Jeddah, where Piastri kept calm to capitalize on a penalty of Verstappen, or in Miami, where he took advantage of a Norris error to ensure victory. His ability to stay serene under pressure has given him a slight advantage, especially in the classification sessions, where he averages 0.088 seconds faster than Norris, leading 9-5 in this year’s sessions.

However, Norris is not far behind. Their consecutive victories in Austria and Silverstone have changed the dynamics of the championship, reducing Piastri’s advantage to only eight points. Nigel Mansell, 1992 world champion, believes that Norris now has the necessary impulse to overcome his partner. “The fight will be intense all year, but I think Lando will probably end up,” Mansell said. He added that Piastri’s error in Silverstone, where he received a penalty of 10 seconds for an erratic maneuver behind the safety car, was a turning point. “It was a shame, but the rules are the rules,” Mansell said, highlighting how Norris took the opportunity to take the career leadership.

The contrast between the styles of both pilots adds a fascinating element to this battle. Piastri is known for his methodical approach and his ability to avoid errors under pressure, while Norris, although fast, has been criticized for making mistakes at key moments, such as his clash in the classification in Jeddah or his collision with Piastri in Canada. Johnny Herbert, former F1 pilot, said Norris is showing signs of maturity, especially after his victory in Silverstone. “That triumph changes the impulse of the championship,” said Herbert. However, he also stressed that both pilots must adopt a “selfish” approach to maximize their chances of winning the title, a council that resonates with the intensity of this rivalry.

Mark Webber, Piastri agent and former F1 pilot, has played a crucial role in the preparation of the Australian. With experience competing against legends such as Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, Webber has shared valuable lessons that have helped Piestri maintain their advantage. “Mark has given me advice based on his years fighting the best,” said Piastri, highlighting how these conversations have shaped his strategic approach. This external guide, combined with access to Norris’s data, gives Piastri a tactical advantage he didn’t have when Verstappen was his main rival.

While the season advances towards the Belgium Grand Prix, the question in everyone’s mind is: Who will prevail? Piastri, with his imperturbable approach and five victories in the season, seems to have control, but Norris, with four wins and a recent increase in trust, is demonstrating that he will not easily give up. Alain Prost, four times world champion and a key figure in the rise of Piastri through the Renault Academy, praised the Australian intelligence. “I see my features in Oscar. It is very cunning,” said Prost, who abstained a winner, but made clear his appreciation for Pastri’s talent.

The battle for the title is not only a speed test, but also of mental resistance and strategy. McLaren, under the direction of Zak Brown and Andrea Stella, has chosen not to favor either pilots, a decision that could intensify the rivalry, but also reflects the confidence in their ability to manage this internal competition. As Stella said, “we tell our pilots not to keep anything in the mind when they drive. They compete hard, but clean.” This philosophy has allowed the fight between Piastri and Norris to be a show for fans, keeping formula 1 at the center of worldwide.

As the 2025 season approaches its second half, the world of motor racing hosts every race, knowing that any error or blow of genius could decide the championship. Pastri’s advantage to be able to analyze Norris’s data, combined with his imperturbable mentality, makes him a formidable contender, but Norris is demonstrating that he has speed and determination to counterattack. Is it the coldness of Piastri or the renewed impulse of Norris that will define the 2025 champion? Only time will say it, but one thing is safe: this battle is redefining the future of McLaren and capture the imagination of fans worldwide.