Why McLaren simply have to prefer Oscar Piastri over Lando Norris to win the 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship

McLaren have become a consistent threat at the front of the field this season after taking a significant step in the right direction last year.

The British team started the season slowly but took victory with Lando Norris at the Miami Grand Prix with a slice of luck due to the timing of a Safety Car.

This success sparked an impressive run of results, with McLaren finishing with at least one car on the podium at every event until the United States Grand Prix.

Norris and Oscar Piastri are blisteringly fast as both drivers took their first Grand Prix victories this season, which would have given them a significant confidence boost.

McLaren were remarkably consistent over the summer but failed to take full advantage of the championship leader Max Verstappen’s difficulties at Red Bull.

Over the second half of the season, Norris came within touching distance of the four-time world champion but ultimately missed out as Verstappen won the title in Las Vegas.

Next season could be crucial for McLaren if they hit the ground running, and they may need to prioritise Piastri over Norris if they can fight for the title.

Oscar Piastri is more decisive in wheel-to-wheel combat and makes less errors

Piastri has developed significantly since he joined McLaren at the start of 2023 and has shown he can deliver at the front of the field.

Drivers such as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are uncompromising in wheel-to-wheel combat and have won championships by being so decisive.

The Australian driver has similar traits, and Piastri is more ruthless in combat than his teammate Norris, who often stumbled when battling on the track.

On the opening lap of the Italian Grand Prix at the Della Roggia chicane, Piastri swept around the outside of his teammate Norris to take the lead. This was an impressive piece of racecraft, and a pass around the outside is rarely seen at the turn.

By contrast, Norris often lost out when fighting on the track, such as in the United States Grand Prix in a battle with Verstappen.

Piastri has also been more reliable, which is a critical skill to have in a championship battle. This could be critical against the reigning champion, as he makes almost no mistakes.

The McLaren driver won in Azerbaijan by defending from Charles Leclerc in the closing stages, knowing that a single lock-up could have lost him the win.

Norris reacted differently at times under pressure. He made needless errors over the year, such as hitting the board at the pit entry speed limit line in Italy.

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix was an example of Norris making mistakes amid a chance to close the gap to Verstappen.

He started on pole position, with Verstappen well outside the top 10 after getting caught out by a red flag in qualifying. Norris lost the lead to Russell and then made several mistakes, including running off the track at Turn 1.

Verstappen won the race, while Norris slumped to sixth place and was fortunate to be let through by his teammate Piastri.

The Australian driver doesn’t have many races like this where he makes multiple errors, although he collided with Carlos Sainz in Miami.

Verstappen has been allowed to dominate in wheel-to-wheel combat by compromising the other driver to gain the position. Piastri didn’t shy away against Verstappen in Abu Dhabi, as he didn’t open the steering wheel amid the Red Bull driver’s optimistic lunge up the inside.

McLaren may need to avoid a repeat of 2007 and pick one driver to prioritise next year

McLaren let the championship slip away in 2007, allowing Fernando Alonso and Hamilton to take points from each other. This allowed Kimi Raikkonen to sneak in and win the title.

The British team may have a similar situation next season with two drivers capable of challenging for the championship.

McLaren will need to be decisive and impose team orders when necessary rather than tiptoe around the issue, as in the untidy scenario in Hungary.

The 2025 season could represent a big opportunity for McLaren, with Mercedes and Red Bull likely having to develop young drivers Andrea Kimi Antonelli and potentially Liam Lawson.

McLaren will have to manage Norris and Piastri while being competitive on various tracks and minimising mistakes.