Lando Norris vs Oscar Piastri: How 2025 F1 world championship title battle between McLaren duo developed into a thriller

With Formula 1's thrilling 2025 season having reached its summer break, look back at a race-by-race recap of Lando Norris' delicately poised battle with Oscar Piastri for the drivers' title.

The McLaren pair have left the rest of the field behind them as they each seek a maiden world championship having combined to bring their team a constructors' title last year.

The battle has ebbed and flowed wonderfully over the first 14 rounds, with Norris' victory in Hungary before the break having cut Piastri's lead to just nine points.

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Everything is still to play for over the final 10 rounds of the season, which resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix from August 29-31, with every session from each race live on Sky Sports F1.

Australian GP: Norris triumphs as Piastri spins on home soil

Norris started the season perfectly by converting pole position into victory as he mastered a chaotic opener in mixed conditions.

He was challenged for the majority of the race by team-mate Piastri until huge drama on Lap 44 when sudden heavy rain led to both McLarens sliding wide in the final sector. Norris managed to swiftly get back on the road but Piastri, much to the devastation of his home fans, got stuck on the wet grass for over a minute.

Norris held off Max Verstappen in the closing stages to take a thrilling win, while Piastri could only recover to ninth.

POINTS: Norris 25-2 Piastri

Chinese GP: Piastri hits back at first 2025 Sprint weekend

Piastri followed Lewis Hamilton home in the first Sprint of the season while Norris paid the price for a poor Sprint Qualifying and a difficult opening lap, ending the shortened contest in eighth.

Although George Russell split the McLarens in main Qualifying, Piastri pinched the Mercedes driver on the run down to Turn 1 which allowed Norris to get into second place.

The McLaren duo held onto those positions at the chequered flag, although Norris needed to manage a brake issue in the last eight laps as he narrowly held off Russell.

POINTS: Norris 44-34 Piastri

Japanese GP: Norris edges Piastri as Verstappen wins

Max Verstappen paused talk of an all-McLaren title battle by producing a mighty lap to take pole position at Suzuka before going on to win his first race of the season by holding off Norris and Piastri.

The top three started and finished in the same positions with Norris almost getting alongside Verstappen during the only pit stop of the race.

Piastri got close to challenging Norris towards the end of the Grand Prix but ultimately had to settle for third.

POINTS: Norris 62-49 Piastri

Bahrain GP: Piastri dominates as Norris endures messy weekend

Piastri found his groove in Bahrain to put together a flawless weekend that saw him take pole position before cruising to a lights-to-flag race victory.

It was far less straightforward for Norris as another qualifying blunder left him starting from sixth, before a five-second time penalty for starting from beyond his grid slot stiffened his task.

His spirit couldn't be questioned as he came through tussles with the Ferraris of both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to get back up to third, but a messy afternoon ultimately saw him run out of time to take second from Russell and his championship lead reduced to three points.

POINTS: Norris 77-74 Piastri

Saudi Arabian GP: Piastri earns title lead with win after Norris crash

Norris' qualifying woes reached new heights in Saudi Arabia as he this time found one of the waiting walls of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Thankfully for him, the accident came in Q3 so he was at least assured of 10th on the grid as Piastri qualified second behind Verstappen.

Piastri showed his championship mettle by getting the better of Verstappen at the start, with the Dutchman's desperate attempts to stay in front earning him a time penalty that would set the McLaren up for victory.

Norris put together a strong charge to put himself in podium contention, but was ultimately denied a podium by Leclerc as Piastri earned his first ever lead of the Drivers' Championship.

POINTS: Norris 89-99 Piastri

Miami GP: Piastri seals hat-trick of wins

The second Sprint weekend of the season provided plenty of drama as Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli took a shock Sprint pole for Mercedes, before Norris benefitted from a timely Safety Car to beat Piastri in a wet-dry 19-lap contest.

Verstappen snatched another grand prix pole from Norris but with Piastri only fourth on the grid the Brit was set up to make ground on his team-mate.

It went wrong for Norris at the start as a tussle with Verstappen left him off the tarmac and down in sixth. While he was fighting his way back through the field, Piastri was masterfully taking the lead from Verstappen.

Norris eventually got past Verstappen after another battle, but had once more given up too much ground to be able to challenge Piastri for the win, with the Australian stretching out his lead in the standings.

POINTS: Norris 115-131 Piastri

Emilia-Romagna GP: Norris makes late pass on Piastri to stop rot

Having seen Piastri win three successive races, Norris stopped the rot with a late overtake on his team-mate to take second in Imola as Verstappen delivered another upset.

Piastri started on pole but was passed around the outside by Verstappen at the first chicane. McLaren pitted Piastri early but the Australian lost time in the traffic, while Norris eventually extended his first stint in a McLaren split of strategies.

A Safety Car then played into Norris' hands, putting him on the back of second-placed Piastri with much fresher tyres, which led to an overtake around the outside of Turn 2 with six laps remaining to reduce his championship deficit.

POINTS: Norris 133-146 Piastri

Monaco GP: Norris masters Monaco

Norris took the all-important pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix and then overcame the introduction of a second mandatory pit stop, which the FIA had hoped would spice of the race.

The fact that the new rules didn't change much suited Norris just fine, with Piastri having to settle for tor third having been out-qualified by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

The result almost put Norris back on level terms.

POINTS: Norris 158-161 Piastri

Spanish GP: Piastri dominates in Barcelona

Scruffy laps in Q3 for Norris and a great effort from Piastri gave the latter his fourth pole of the season.

Verstappen jumped Norris at the start and by the time the McLaren driver had got back ahead on Lap 13, Piastri was well clear.

A late Safety Car for Kimi Antonelli's broken Mercedes brought the field together with seven laps remaining, but Piastri nailed the restart and Norris never got close to challenging him for the win.

POINTS: Norris 176-186 Piastri

Canadian GP: It finally happened! Norris and Piastri collide

A new version of the McLaren suspension designed to give Norris a more favourable feeling at the front of the car appeared to boost the Brit as he impressed throughout practice, but another error-strewn Q3 left him only seventh on the grid as Piastri took third.

As front-row occupants George Russell and Verstappen battled for the win, Piastri faced late pressure from the charging Norris in the fight for fourth, before disaster struck!

Norris went for it with five laps to go at the Turn 10 hairpin but Piastri ducked back underneath, and the McLaren duo ran side by side down the back straight. Piastri got ahead into the final chicane, only for Norris to have a better exit so he looked for a gap that was never really there as they crossed the finish line, hitting the rear of his team-mate and dramatically crashing out.

Norris accepted blame immediately and apologised to the team and Piastri, with the Australian quite happily accepting having been able to build his biggest lead of the year by finishing fourth.

POINTS: Norris 176-198 Piastri

Austrian GP: Norris bounces back

Norris continued to look more comfortable in the upgraded McLaren as he took a dominant pole, with Piastri having to settle for third on the grid behind Leclerc after having his second flying lap in Q3 ruined by yellow flags.

The Australian put that disappointment behind him by immediately passing the Ferrari on the opening lap, setting up a race-long battle for victory between the McLarens.

Piastri showed impressive pace to push Norris all the way, but the latter kept his composure to complete a perfect response to the drama of Canada.

POINTS: Norris 201-216 Piastri

British GP: Piastri's costly error gifts Norris home win

Having both been stunned by Verstappen again in qualifying, rain on race day played into the McLaren drivers' hands at Silverstone.

Piastri easily got past as the Dutchman struggled in the wet with a wrong set-up but was punished for blunder on a Safety Car restart on Lap 21.

The Australian was deemed to have braked "erratically" after the Safety Car lights went out which saw Verstappen dart to the right to avoid his rival, so Piastri was given a 10-second time penalty.

He served it at the final pit stop when the drivers switched for slicks which gave Norris the lead and a special home win to the delight of the British fans.

POINTS: Norris 226-234 Piastri

Belgian GP: Piastri brilliance extends championship lead

Piastri lost out to Verstappen in a tense Belgian Grand Prix Sprint, with Norris finishing behind the leading duo in third. However, Piastri made up for it with some magic on the opening lap of the main race on the next day.

Norris took pole but in wet conditions, Piastri timed his run perfectly through Eau Rouge to get into Norris' slipstream and breeze past his team-mate on the Kemmel Straight.

He did not put a foot wrong over the remaining 43-and-a-half laps, even with Norris on the theoretically better hard tyres compared to Piastri on the mediums when the drivers switched to slicks.

Three crucial small errors from Norris meant he never got close to closing down his nine-second deficit to Piastri after the only pit stop phase.

POINTS: Norris 250-266 Piastri

Hungarian GP: Norris fends off Piastri in thriller

Leclerc upstaged the McLarens in a dramatic qualifying at the Hungaroring, leaving Piastri second and Norris third. However, Norris lost ground at the start and dropped to fifth, so his chances of victory quickly became slim.

A two-stop race was expected, so Piastri attempted to undercut Leclerc at the first round of pit stops but was unable to execute it, while Norris benefitted from Russell pitting soon after the leaders to not lose too much time.

McLaren decided to give Norris the option of a one-stop strategy, to which he said "why not" as the race approached half distance.

After Leclerc and Piastri pitted for a second time, Norris was now leading but with significantly worse tyres for the last 25 laps. Piastri whittled away at his 12-second deficit to Norris, while overtaking Leclerc due to a tyre offset and the Ferrari driver struggling with an issue.

With five laps to go, Piastri got within DRS range. He had a half-look to the inside of Norris into Turn 1 with three laps remaining then gave McLaren a scare as he locked up at the start of the penultimate lap and nearly hit his team-mate.

Norris managed to hold on and take a crucial win to leave the title race finely poised going into the sport's summer break.

POINTS: Norris 275-284 Piastri

Formula 1 returns after the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on August 29-31, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime

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