Lando Norris only took six rounds to overturn his largest deficit to Oscar Piastri in the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship and open his biggest lead atop the standings this year.
The Briton had faced a 34-point deficit to his McLaren teammate atop the standings after he retired from the Dutch Grand Prix in round 15 at the end of August. But Norris now boasts a 24-point lead over the Australian after he won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix during round 21/24.
Norris has outscored Piastri during all six rounds since the Dutch GP, but he especially took a leap through the past three in the United States, Mexico and Brazil to punish his teammate’s woe. Piastri still led Norris by 22 points before the F1 Sprint during round 19 in Austin, Texas.
Brazil, especially, might yet go down as the round that decided the F1 drivers’ championship fight between Norris, Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. After claiming pole position for both, Norris won the Sao Paulo Sprint as Piastri crashed and the Grand Prix as Piastri got P5.

Lando Norris’ manager cites his improved life decisions for his 2025 F1 title fight comeback
Norris has taken full advantage of his teammate suffering a wobble, as Piastri crashed out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and finished P5 in the US, Mexico City and Sao Paulo. Norris irked Piastri by making contact in the Singapore Grand Prix, too, as they came home in P3 and P4.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration
| 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 |
F1 photographer and paddock insider Kym Ilmann also spoke to Norris’ manager at the Sao Paulo GP about the 25-year-old’s comeback in the title fight. His representative cites Norris’ improved life decisions as the key to his recent success and comeback in the F1 title fight.
“One of the things that came out of that chat was that Lando is making better decisions in his life and across motorsport,” Illman said on his YouTube channel after the Sao Paulo GP. “He seems to be a lot happier and more grounded at the present moment.”
Some F1 fans even booed images of Lando Norris shown on big screens in Brazil
While Norris may be happier in himself, the Sao Paulo GP crowd showed that some fans are not happy with McLaren as the Briton was booed on the back of winning the Sprint and the Grand Prix. Some fans at Interlagos even booed images of Norris shown on the big screens.
READ MORE: Every error that cost Lando Norris points in his failed 2024 F1 title challenge
| Position | Drivers' Championship | Points |
| 1 | Lando Norris | 390 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | 366 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | 341 |
Illman added: “There are many Lando fans who were thrilled. I don’t think too many of them were at the Brazilian GP, though, because there were certainly boos for Lando, both on the podium like in Mexico, but also when the drivers were announced in the pre-race video.
“When his name came up, [there were] once again big boos. He went on to talk about it later, saying he doesn’t take much notice of what’s going on out there with the fans. The negative stuff, he’s put that behind him. He’s a lot stronger mentally now.”
It is said that Norris is privately getting fed up with fans booing him, having also drawn a raft of jeers when he won the Mexico City Grand Prix. The theory goes that fans are voicing their ongoing frustration after McLaren told Piastri to give Norris back P2 in the Italian Grand Prix.
At least publicly, Norris brushed off the boos he received in Mexico City and Sao Paulo, as he took the F1 drivers’ championship lead back off Piastri in Mexico and pulled clear in Brazil. It will no doubt test his newfound joy if the jeers persist during the final three rounds of 2025.
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