After 17 rounds in the 2025 Formula 1 season, the championship battle remains intensely close, with only 69 points separating the top three drivers. Max Verstappen’s commanding victory in Baku has heightened the stakes, but for contenders Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri, the race for the title hinges on minimizing errors and maintaining reliability on the track. This article examines the critical moments where these drivers lost valuable points and how those setbacks have shaped the championship fight.
Oscar Piastri’s Missed Opportunities at Key Races
Australian driver Oscar Piastri, representing McLaren, has scored 324 points this season but has lost 48 points due to various errors and misfortunes. His first significant issue occurred at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, where challenging track conditions caused him to spin off onto the grass, dropping from second place to ninth and resulting in a points loss estimated at 16.
At the Japanese Grand Prix in round three, team strategy complications cost Piastri further. Despite running third and faster than teammate Lando Norris, McLaren did not allow the drivers to swap positions to challenge Verstappen, resulting in a third-place finish that likely cost Piastri at least three additional points.
Piastri’s troubles continued at Imola, where he lost the lead on the first lap and was unable to regain it, costing him an estimated 10 points. Silverstone saw him penalized by 10 seconds for erratic driving behind the safety car, demoting him from a probable win to second place and another seven points lost.
Further tactical challenges arose at Hungary and Monza. At Hungary, a two-stop strategy meant to provide an advantage backfired, allowing Norris to overtake Piastri, causing a loss of seven points. In Monza, prolonged pit stop delays forced Piastri to relinquish position to Norris and settle for third place rather than second.
The latest setback for Piastri was in Baku, where a crash in qualifying placed him ninth on the grid. An opening lap crash in the race itself ended his hopes for any points, costing him at least two championship points he might have earned for a ninth-place finish.
Lando Norris’ Errors Compound His Point Deficit
Lando Norris, also driving for McLaren, has accumulated 299 points but lost 60 points primarily due to startline mishaps and on-track penalties. After a strong start to the season with a victory in Australia, Norris’ form faltered in China, where a mistake at the sprint’s start cost him two championship points.
At Bahrain, another poor start led to a five-second penalty for starting outside his grid box, dropping him from second to third and costing three points. Norris’ struggles worsened in Saudi Arabia, where he crashed during qualifying and started tenth, ultimately finishing fourth. This incident likely cost him 13 potential championship points he might have gained from a victory.
Norris encountered further setbacks in Miami when a poor start caused him to fall from second to sixth, losing seven points as teammate Piastri went on to challenge for the win. His race ended prematurely in Canada after a collision with Piastri while running fifth, resulting in a loss of 10 points for both drivers and raising tensions within McLaren.
Despite securing pole position in Belgium, Norris again faltered at the start, allowing Piastri to seize control of the race. A slow pit stop compounded his difficulties, and Norris finished second, surrendering seven more points. After the summer break, at Zandvoort, Norris lost second place to Verstappen at the start but fought back before an oil leak forced him out of the race, costing a crucial 18 points.
Max Verstappen’s Penalties Undermine His Championship Lead
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has scored 255 points but lost 27 due to on-track penalties and incidents. Unlike Norris, Verstappen’s lost points often stem from penalties rather than errors at race starts. In Saudi Arabia, Verstappen received a five-second penalty for going off track and gaining an advantage without returning the position, losing seven points when he dropped from first place.
In Miami’s sprint race, a team error led to a dangerous pit release, which caused Verstappen to collide with Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli. This incident resulted in a 10-second penalty that demoted him from fourth to 17th, costing him five championship points.
The Spanish Grand Prix featured a controversial clash with Mercedes’ George Russell. After being instructed to give back a position gained off track, Verstappen initially complied but then appeared to sideswipe Russell, earning a 10-second penalty that dropped him from fifth to tenth and losing nine points.
At the Austrian Grand Prix, Verstappen was taken out in the opening lap by Antonelli, which eliminated him from the race and resulted in six valuable points lost. Despite these challenges, Verstappen’s performance and consistency continue to keep him in the title fight alongside Norris and Piastri.
What These Mistakes Mean for the 2025 F1 Championship
The 2025 season’s intensity is clearly demonstrated by how closely the top three drivers’ points tally and lost points overlap. Lando Norris has lost the most points, largely due to startline errors and collisions, while Oscar Piastri’s strategy and on-track mistakes have cost him important positions. Max Verstappen’s setbacks, mainly from penalties and incidents, highlight the fine margins in his racecraft and race management.
With only 69 points separating these contenders and the championship lead shifting multiple times, each race’s outcome is highly dependent on avoiding errors and capitalizing on opportunities. The tension and frustration evident in these drivers’ performances reveal how costly mistakes have possibly halted Norris’ chances of securing the world title this year. As the season progresses toward its concluding rounds, precision, clear team strategies, and reliability may ultimately decide who prevails in this fiercely competitive fight for the crown.
