Jenson Button says Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are now in a ‘horrible’ period of F1 title fight

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Jenson Button has ample experience of being on the back foot during a championship battle, and has highlighted why Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are currently in a ‘horrible’ period of the 2025 Formula 1 title fight.

McLaren’s star driver duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have served as the main championship protagonists for the entirety of the current campaign.

The Brit currently holds a relatively slender lead of 24 points over his Australian counterpart. His advantage at the top of the F1 standings could be turned into a deficit at a moment’s notice.

Just three rounds remain for either driver to clinch the title and etch their names into the Formula 1 history books as the 2025 world champion.

READ MORE: George Russell tops FP3 timings at Las Vegas Grand Prix as McLaren suffer potential electrical issue

Jenson Button highlights how Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are now in a ‘horrible’ period of the F1 title fight

A long-standing narrative during the current campaign’s championship battle has been the way in which Norris and Piastri deal with the pressure of challenging for a world title.

The Brit has somewhat of an upper hand in that respect.

Norris battled Max Verstappen for the 2024 F1 title last year, with several mistakes leading to his eventual downfall, but the 25-year-old has shown how much he has matured through his ability to overturn the previous deficit he faced against his McLaren counterpart.

Despite his apparent improvements, the 2009 F1 world champion, Jenson Button, believes that both Norris and Piastri will be suffering from the same calibre of pressure, no matter which order they currently sit in the drivers’ standings.

Speaking on Sky Sports F1’s coverage of FP3 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Button was asked about the current mindset of both drivers, to which he replied (22/11 1:38am), “It is horrible for both of them, it really is.

“Whether you’re the chaser, the hunter, or the one being hunted. You know how important every single point is, and every single position in qualifying is.

“There’s an unbelievable amount of stress. So it’s how you deal with that stress, and how comfortable you feel with the car.”

READ MORE: Mark Webber explains why Lando Norris has dealt with F1 title pressure better than Oscar Piastri

Max Verstappen is still in with a chance of spoiling McLaren’s drivers’ championship hopes

If the McLaren drivers end up succumbing to the high amount of pressure that currently befalls them, Verstappen will waste no time in capitalising on their errors.

The four-time world champion is still within half a chance of securing his fifth consecutive world title, but needs a stroke of luck to go in his favour in order to clinch it.

If Norris outscores Verstappen by nine points in Las Vegas, the Red Bull star will be mathematically ruled out of contention for the title, meaning that a brand new Formula 1 world champion will be crowned.

The feat will mark McLaren’s first drivers’ title since Lewis Hamilton’s maiden F1 championship in 2008. The Woking-based F1 outfit have been on a rollercoaster of a ride in the sport since.

Back-to-back constructors’ championship triumphs in 2024 and 2025 marked a return to the top of the F1 pecking order after McLaren finished ninth in 2015, with just 27 points to their name.