Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri remain locked in a tight contest for the 2025 F1 world championship, with Piastri holding a 31-point advantage after the Italian Grand Prix. While the Australian and British drivers form the main rivalry, Max Verstappen’s unexpected win at Monza could complicate the title battle, especially for McLaren. Former F1 driver Perry McCarthy highlighted that Verstappen’s resurgence could impact Norris more severely than his teammate Oscar Piastri.
How Verstappen’s Monza Triumph Shakes Up the Title Race
Throughout the season, Norris and Piastri have demonstrated superior pace, often outpacing the entire field, including Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing. Although Verstappen managed several victories earlier in the year, inconsistency hampered his challenge. However, his dominant and record-setting win at the Italian GP suggests a potential shift in momentum.
McCarthy noted that if Verstappen continues to secure wins, it will hinder McLaren’s strategy to close the points gap between Norris and Piastri. Rather than Norris consistently winning races to catch up, he may face several results where finishing second might be the best achievable outcome, restricting his chances of gaining on Piastri.
It really affects Lando more because if Max is able to win, and in a scenario where you’ve got McLaren second and third with Lando ahead, the ability to reduce the gap is greatly reduced.
Perry McCarthy, Former F1 Driver
If Norris wins a race with Piastri finishing second, Norris gains a seven-point advantage. In contrast, finishing second when Piastri is third yields only a three-point increase, demonstrated at Monza. This difference could prove alarming for Norris as he tries to challenge Piastri’s lead. McCarthy emphasized that Verstappen’s return to winning form presents a larger problem for Norris than his closest McLaren teammate.
The biggest spread of course is to win the race and hope your team-mate is second or third or fourth because you then get meaningful points back to try and overcome the deficit… So for me, Verstappen would be more the worry for Lando than Oscar. They’re certainly just out to race themselves.
Perry McCarthy, Former F1 Driver
Max Verstappen’s Role as a Disruptive Force in the Title Fight
Max Verstappen appears detached from his own championship ambitions after conceding weeks ago due to Red Bull’s reliability and performance issues. Despite this, the four-time world champion has no intention of easing the path for either Norris or Piastri. Instead, Verstappen can disrupt the championship calculus simply by competing for victories.
Perry McCarthy illustrated this impact by comparing Verstappen’s wins to “birthday presents” that Norris could lose. Every victory Verstappen claims denies Norris the chance to collect crucial points against Piastri, which are vital for closing the championship gap.
But having Max in there, and if he is able to take some wins, it is like you are taking away the big birthday presents to reduce the championship lead if you’re not winning, and it takes away the big boy points on the points spread.
Perry McCarthy, Former F1 Driver
Challenges Ahead for Lando Norris in the Remaining Races
Looking forward, Norris must confront Verstappen head-on during the final races of the campaign. Falling behind the Red Bull driver would limit Norris’s chances of catching Piastri, potentially dooming his title hopes. To remain in contention, Norris needs to consistently outperform both Verstappen and his own teammate through the closing stages of the season.
The evolving competitive dynamics, driven by Verstappen’s re-emergence, are intensifying the pressure on Norris. His previous advantage over Piastri is at risk of shrinking if Verstappen can maintain his recent form and continue claiming wins.
The ongoing Oscar Piastri F1 title battle now has a new layer of complexity, as Verstappen’s involvement reshapes the points landscape and strategic opportunities for McLaren’s drivers. As the season progresses, observers will closely watch whether Verstappen’s return to winning ways further diminishes Norris’s chances or whether the British driver can adapt to reclaim momentum against both rivals.
