Oscar Piastri reveals the pre-season tweaks that have been ‘difference-makers’ in Lando Norris F1 title fight

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Oscar Piastri’s ability to take the fight to Lando Norris during the 2025 F1 season has been one of the biggest improvements of the drivers on the grid this season.

The improvement in results has forced Andrea Stella to impose rules at McLaren, in an attempt to prevent the environment at the team from becoming toxic as they look towards the future of the team.

The two papaya drivers are set to battle it out in the final ten rounds of the season in hopes of securing the first F1 drivers’ championships of their respective careers.

Despite leading McLaren teammate Lando Norris by nine points in the standings, Jolyon Palmer believes Piastri could be even further ahead if it weren’t for strokes of bad luck that have hindered him in recent races.

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Oscar Piastri believes McLaren did a ‘good job’ of identifying ‘exactly’ where he can find performance

Piastri’s lead in the current campaign has been of stark contrast to where he found himself in the pecking order in reference to his McLaren teammate last year.

The Australian finished fourth in the 2024 drivers’ standings, 82 points behind Norris in second place.

Still, it’s easy to forget that last season was Piastri’s second as a driver in F1. Adding to that, he became the first driver since Max Verstappen to claim a win in their second campaign.

In an interview with The Race, the Australian revealed the work he did with McLaren behind the scenes over the winter break to be able to close the gap to Norris, stating, “We did a very good job of identifying exactly where we needed to try and find performance.

“From a driving point of view, and helping to be at one with the car, we put a lot of effort into that specifically. That has been one of the difference-makers.

“And obviously, when you have a plan and know the things that you need to go out and try, that for me generally helps quite a lot.”

The extra work certainly looks to have paid off for the 24-year-old, with Piastri leading the grid with the highest number of Grand Prix victories this season, as well as being tied with Verstappen for the most amount of pole positions.

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Oscar Piastri has been testing at tracks he has struggled at in the past

Through the careful use of F1’s Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) rule, McLaren has been able to give Piastri some extra time on track at some of the circuits he has previously struggled at.

He has clocked miles in at Zandvoort, Barcelona and Austin throughout the 2025 campaign, with his result at the Spanish Grand Prix earlier in the year being a prime example of how well the extra laps have served him.

McLaren were surprised at Piastri’s lack of pace in Spain last year, as he finished seventh whilst his teammate took second place after starting on pole. The year prior, Piastri finished out of the points.

With the extra mileage on the Spanish tarmac under his belt heading into the 2025 iteration of the race, Piastri was dominant upon his arrival at the circuit in June.

The Australian took pole position before his Grand Prix feat and fastest lap, and was just six laps away from achieving his first Grand Chelem in the sport, which was scuppered by Verstappen going long on his opening stint of the race.