McLaren CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella will be well aware that nothing is decided at the halfway stage of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
After the British Grand Prix, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are separated by just eight points in the drivers’ championship.
However, that doesn’t do justice to just how dominant McLaren have been this season.
Max Verstappen is the closest challenger to both of their drivers, but sits 69 points behind Piastri.
The constructors’ championship is even more impressive, with McLaren 236 points ahead of Ferrari, which is more than double their current tally.
| Position | Drivers' Championship | Points |
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | 234 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | 226 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | 165 |
| 4 | George Russell | 147 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | 119 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | 103 |
| 7 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 63 |
| 8 | Alexander Albon | 46 |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | 37 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | 23 |
Adrian Newey has been spotted studying McLaren’s car, which should tell you all you need to know about the innovations they’ve discovered over the past two years.
Red Bull believe Rob Marshall’s exit was even more important than Newey’s, and it’s no surprise that the work he’s done behind the scenes at McLaren has turned them into the dominant force in Formula 1.
McLaren are set to allow their drivers to battle against each other to determine the winner of the drivers’ championship, so long as Verstappen or George Russell don’t make a sudden charge.
However, they’re still carefully managing their partnership behind the scenes and in the media.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

McLaren stopped questions about Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s rivalry at the British Grand Prix
Legendary England cricketer Stuart Broad was asked on the For The Love of Cricket Podcast about the interview he took part in with Norris and Piastri, and whether he played on the England vs Australia rivalry, with The Ashes coming up later in the year.
He explained: “A bit of that. But then, actually, leading into the interview, they didn’t want England vs Australia necessarily talked about because they’re teammates, they don’t want to be seen as rivals, etc.
“So, I knew I had about four, four and a half minutes, and I was quite nervous, to be honest, as you would be, given a microphone. OK, you got four, four and a half minutes with two of the top world championship drivers in Formula 1.
| Category | Lando Norris | Oscar Piastri |
| 2025 points | 423 | 410 |
| Grand Prix results | 13 | 10 |
| Grand Prix qualifying | 13 | 11 |
| Grand Prix wins | 7 | 7 |
| Grand Prix poles | 7 | 6 |
| Grand Prix podiums | 18 | 16 |
| Best finish | 1st | 1st |
| Retirements | 2 | 1 |
| Disqualifications | 1 | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 6 | 6 |
| Grand Prix points finishes | 21 | 22 |
| Sprint results | 2 | 3 |
| Sprint Qualifying | 2 | 4 |
| Sprint wins | 2 | 1 |
| Sprint poles | 1 | 2 |
| Sprint podiums | 4 | 4 |
| Sprint retirements | 1 | 2 |
“Walk and talk, try and link it to cricket if you can, because we’re going to show it on the cricket channel.
“But don’t mention England, Australia. So it’s like, oh, OK.
“They were brilliant. Honestly, they were really cool. I think when you meet sportspeople who are still playing and you enjoy their time, you just want them to do really well, don’t you?
“So, I was delighted that they both drove well on Sunday.”
READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend
Zak Brown happy to let Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri race this season
Although Norris and Piastri have won nine of the first 12 Grand Prix, they’ve not gone head-to-head on track that often.
Piastri was told to hold station at the Australian Grand Prix before making an uncharacteristic error during torrential conditions.
The pair both failed to get past Verstappen at Suzuka, but up until the Canadian Grand Prix, they had largely run their own races.
| Position | Constructors' Standings | Points |
| 1 | McLaren Racing | 460 |
| 2 | Scuderia Ferrari | 222 |
| 3 | Mercedes-AMG Petronas | 210 |
| 4 | Red Bull Racing | 172 |
| 5 | Williams F1 Team | 59 |
| 6 | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | 41 |
| 7 | Racing Bulls | 36 |
| 8 | Aston Martin F1 Team | 36 |
| 9 | Haas F1 Team | 29 |
| 10 | Alpine F1 Team | 19 |
Norris made an error crashing into the back of Piastri in Montreal, before the Brit got the better of his teammate to win at the Red Bull Ring.
Brown has told Norris and Piastri ‘may the best man win’ when asked if team orders will play a part in the championship battle.
As long as the constructors’ championship is wrapped up, McLaren could be about to orchestrate one of the best title battles in recent memory, even if they don’t want their rivalry publicly discussed right now.
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