Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Charles Leclerc has reconsidered his prediction for the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship after seeing Lando Norris mount a comeback to now edge Oscar Piastri by one point.
McLaren stars Norris and Piastri have led the drivers’ standings exclusively between them so far this season. But Red Bull rival Max Verstappen has clawed his way back into the title race over the past five rounds in search of his fifth trophy, and now only trails Norris by 36 points.
Norris started the 2025 season by kicking Verstappen off the top of the F1 drivers’ standings for the first time in 1,029 days. Piastri instantly responded to lead the championship only 35 days later. Yet the Australian’s reign also lasted just 188 days, with Norris now in front again.
Piastri has crumbled since he boasted a 34-point lead over Norris and a 104-point lead over Verstappen following the Dutch Grand Prix during round 15 of 24. The 24-year-old has only taken one podium in the last five rounds, while Verstappen took three wins and Norris one.
Charles Leclerc has lost his belief in Oscar Piastri winning the 2025 F1 drivers’ title
Despite the first cracks starting to appear, Leclerc backed Piastri to win the 2025 F1 drivers’ title ahead of the United States Grand Prix during round 19 in October. The Ferrari star felt the McLaren man had the “advantage” over Norris, as he arrived at COTA 22 points ahead.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend
| ROUND | CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER | MARGIN AT MCLAREN |
| Australian GP | Norris (25 points) | 23 points over Piastri |
| Chinese GP | Norris (44 points) | 10 points over Piastri |
| Japanese GP | Norris (62 points) | 13 points over Piastri |
| Bahrain GP | Norris (77 points) | 3 points over Piastri |
| Saudi Arabian GP | Piastri (99 points) | 10 points over Norris |
| Miami GP | Piastri (131 points) | 16 points over Norris |
| Emilia Romagna GP | Piastri (146 points) | 13 points over Norris |
| Monaco GP | Piastri (161 points) | 3 points over Norris |
| Spanish GP | Piastri (186 points) | 10 points over Norris |
| Canadian GP | Piastri (198 points) | 22 points over Norris |
| Austrian GP | Piastri (216 points) | 15 points over Norris |
| British GP | Piastri (234 points) | 8 points over Norris |
| Belgian GP | Piastri (266 points) | 16 points over Norris |
| Hungarian GP | Piastri (284 points) | 9 points over Norris |
| Dutch GP | Piastri (309 points) | 34 points over Norris |
| Italian GP | Piastri (324 points) | 31 points over Norris |
| Azerbaijan GP | Piastri (324 points) | 25 points over Norris |
| Singapore GP | Piastri (336 points) | 22 points over Norris |
| United States GP | Piastri (346 points) | 14 points over Norris |
| Mexico City GP | Norris (357 points) | 1 point over Piastri |
| Sao Paulo GP | Norris (390 points) | 24 points over Piastri |
| Las Vegas GP | Norris (390 points) | 24 points over Piastri |
| Qatar GP | Norris (308 points) | 16 points over Piastri |
Even back in July ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix in round 14, Leclerc felt Piastri had an “edge” over Norris in the 2025 title fight. But seeing Norris move atop the standings with a dominant win at the Mexico City Grand Prix has made Leclerc start to doubt Piastri’s hopes.
Leclerc noted during the pre-event drivers’ press conference at Interlagos this Thursday: “I don’t know. I said Oscar a few races ago, as he had the points advantage, but now they are basically equal. So, [I have] no idea. I think it will be between the McLaren drivers.”
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have given Charles Leclerc reasons to second-guess his title prediction
Piastri, Norris and Verstappen have all given Leclerc reasons to start to second-guess if this season will see an Australian win the F1 drivers’ title for the first time since 1980. The gong heading Piastri’s way would also make him only the third Australian to ever win the F1 title.
Verstappen utilised Red Bull’s recent floor and front wing upgrades to win the Grand Prix in Italy, Azerbaijan and the United States, as well as the F1 Sprint at COTA. Norris beat Leclerc for a dominant win at the Mexico City GP, too, while Piastri only managed P5 last time out.
Norris made his case for the 2025 drivers’ title by winning from pole position with a 30.324-second lead on another weekend of woe for Piastri. The Melbourne native also qualified P8 with a time 0.588s off Norris’ lap pole, but he started in P7 after Carlos Sainz’s grid penalty.
Victory at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez also followed steady progress for Norris to overturn Piastri’s advantage while his teammate has hit trouble. Piastri crashed out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and he also crashed into Norris at the start of the F1 Sprint at COTA.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
