Andrea Stella knows what ‘can’t happen again’ for Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri to win the F1 title

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Lando Norris leads the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship by just one point over McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, but Red Bull racer Max Verstappen is also only 36 points shy.

The top three in the standings are now separated by the tightest margin since round eight of this term’s 24 back in May. Verstappen left the Monaco Grand Prix facing a 25-point deficit to Piastri atop the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship, plus a 22-point deficit to Norris in second.

Piastri led the championship between round five in Saudi Arabia and 19 in the United States. But the Australian has now lost the lead by one point to his McLaren teammate, after Norris won the Mexico City Grand Prix to claim the top spot for the first time since the end of April.

Norris became the first driver to dethrone Verstappen from the top of the championship for 1,029 days when the Briton won the season-opener in Australia in March. Yet his lead only lasted 35 days, so Norris will hope to stay ahead for longer with 37 days of the season to go.

Andrea Stella knows McLaren must maximise Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s cars in Las Vegas

The 2025 F1 season concludes with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 7, before which Brazil, Las Vegas and Qatar will host races. The Sao Paulo Grand Prix on November 7-9 and Qatar Grand Prix on November 28-30 will also host the last two F1 Sprint events of the year.

READ MORE: Five unforgettable Las Vegas GP moments including Sainz’s drain cover crash

McLaren team chief Andrea Stella is also already looking ahead to the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 20-22, knowing that the Woking crew must maximise their car’s performance in Nevada if Norris or Piastri are to have the chance to deny Verstappen a fifth straight title.

Stella admits McLaren did not maximise the MCL39’s potential when Norris finished P7 and Piastri crashed out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as Verstappen won in round 17. Norris also qualified P7 in Baku, having botched his last Q3 run to lap 1.122s off Verstappen’s pole time.

Stella said, via Motorsport.com: “What we need to do above all is ensure we get the most out of the car, as we did in Mexico. We didn’t always succeed at some circuits, like in Baku. That can’t happen again in Las Vegas.”

Tyre graining could make the 2025 F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix ‘very different’ for McLaren

McLaren did not particularly enjoy their previous trips to Sin City since F1 first staged the Las Vegas GP in 2023. Norris and Piastri only qualified P16 and P19 for the inaugural edition, and P6 and P8 in 2024. Verstappen won the 2024 F1 title in Las Vegas as he beat Norris, as well.

READ MORE: Every error that cost Lando Norris points in his failed 2024 F1 title challenge

Norris only managed P6 ahead of Piastri in P7, as Verstappen wrapped up the 2024 title with P5 in the 2024 Las Vegas GP. But Stella thinks the 2025 running could be “very different” for Norris and Piastri, as McLaren grain the Pirelli tyres far less this term than they did in 2024.

Stella added: “The tyres are suffering much less from graining this season than last year. That alone could mean that Las Vegas will be a very different experience for us. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.”

While only one position separated Red Bull driver Verstappen in P5 from Norris in P6 during the 2024 Las Vegas GP with Piastri in P7, the McLaren man finished the 50-lap race 26.803s behind the Dutchman. Piastri took the chequered flag 34.783s behind Verstappen last term.