McLaren has positioned itself as the top favorite to secure the 2025 Formula 1 world championship, with the Woking-based team poised to defend its constructor’s crown. This season features a fierce intra-team battle between teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris for the drivers’ title, with Piastri currently showcasing stronger on-track performances. The rising status of Oscar Piastri as the 2025 F1 title favorite has drawn significant attention amid intense competition.
Oscar Piastri’s Dominance Solidifies Early in the Season
Since the season’s opener, Australian driver Oscar Piastri has taken five race wins, doubling the victories secured individually by Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, who each claimed two. Piastri’s calm and composed driving style in critical moments appears to distinguish him from his closest rivals. A notable example of this was the Canadian Grand Prix, where Norris made a costly late-race error by colliding with Piastri during the closing stages, impacting the championship momentum.
Peter Windsor Argues Verstappen Would Surpass Norris in McLaren
F1 analyst Peter Windsor expressed a strong opinion that if Max Verstappen occupied Norris’s McLaren seat, the competitive hierarchy would look very different. Windsor asserted that Verstappen’s talent would allow him to outperform Piastri decisively, claiming the Dutch driver would “devour Oscar alive” in that machinery. He further emphasized that this superiority would hold true regardless of whether Piastri remained at McLaren or switched to Red Bull. According to Windsor, Verstappen’s driving skills significantly outclass Norris’s.
If Max were in the other McLaren right now, then he would devour Oscar alive, as far as I’m concerned. And vice versa just as much. Max would do better in all respects than Lando. —Peter Windsor, F1 Journalist
Windsor highlighted the differing driving styles between Norris and Piastri but stressed that neither matches Verstappen’s level in race conditions. He cited Verstappen’s recent finish behind only the Mercedes car in Canada as evidence of his superior driver skill, even when the Red Bull wasn’t the fastest car on track.
The two of them just have a different skill set. But neither of them is on the level of Max in that car. That’s why Max is still doing what he does in a Red Bull — which wasn’t even as good as the Mercedes in Canada. —Peter Windsor, F1 Journalist
Shifting Dynamics Between McLaren Teammates in 2025
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been team members at McLaren since 2023. In the early stages of their partnership, Norris was widely expected to maintain a performance edge over the less seasoned Piastri, a trend that seemed to hold through their initial seasons together. However, this season reveals a dramatic reversal, as Piastri has surged ahead, challenging Norris’s former dominance and altering team dynamics.
Recollection of 2024 Season’s Team Orders and Their Consequences
Peter Windsor recalled a pivotal moment during the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, when McLaren instructed Norris not to challenge Piastri for the race lead, on the condition that team support would back Norris’s championship pursuit. Despite these strategic communications, Norris ultimately failed to clinch the title, which was instead won by Max Verstappen. Windsor now predicts that Piastri is poised to decisively outpace Norris in the 2025 World Championship battle.
You had all those patronizing radio messages in Hungary. Like: Lando, do what’s right for the team, if you want us to support you in the championship. Well, he didn’t win that championship at all. And now we’re here, and Oscar Piastri is about to blow him away in the 2025 World Championship. —Peter Windsor, F1 Journalist
This development places Norris in an unexpectedly challenging position, as the 25-year-old British driver struggles to reclaim his leadership status within McLaren. The pressure to regain form and competitiveness is mounting if Norris intends to sustain serious title ambitions this season.
Implications for the 2025 F1 Championship Battle
The evolving rivalry within McLaren, combined with the looming presence of Max Verstappen at Red Bull, sets the stage for a tense and unpredictable 2025 season. Peter Windsor’s assessment underscores a potential reshuffling of driver hierarchies should Verstappen appear in McLaren machinery, dramatically affecting the outlook for Piastri and Norris. As the championship progresses, monitoring how these intra-team and inter-team battles unfold will be essential for understanding the title race’s direction.
With McLaren emerging as a clear constructor championship favorite and Piastri leading the driver standings, the 2025 Formula 1 season promises heightened competition and shifting power dynamics, potentially altering the sport’s landscape for years to come.
