The Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri change that McLaren engineers have noticed since 2025 F1 title fight started

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As F1 enters the summer break, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri get some much-needed respite from the intense title fight that they are both in the midst of.

Norris will be heading into the break with his head held high after fending off a late charge from McLaren teammate Piastri to take the chequered flag in Hungary. Piastri will also be looking back on the first half of the season positively, as he still holds the championship lead, albeit a marginal one.

A win at the Dutch Grand Prix following the conclusion of the summer break could see Norris close the gap to his teammate even further or, providing Piastri finishes third or lower, even take charge of the championship.

At the moment, it’s impossible to predict who will emerge from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the end of the season as the triumphant champion. Insiders at McLaren just hope it is settled on track, without any unforeseen factors contributing to whichever way the title swings.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

McLaren engineers have noticed an uptick in ‘intensity’ from Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

Speaking to Tom Clarkson on the F1 Nation podcast, nine-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen noted an apparent change of demeanour of the two McLaren title contenders that have taken engineers within the team by surprise.

“What fascinates me as well is the dialogue with the engineers,” Kristensen said. “You can feel there’s more intensity in both Oscar and Lando, speaking to Tom and Will as the lead engineers on both cars.

“Zak says they are free to race, also the engineers are free to do whatever they do to make the best for McLaren. This intensity probably goes into and I’m sure they will reflect on that during the summer break here.

“They’re way ahead in the constructors’ championship, it’s between those two, and it’s a golden opportunity because you don’t know what you’re going to have in 2026. So to have a world championship that is going to be a very interesting in-team battle.”

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

McLaren are chasing their first drivers’ championship since Lewis Hamilton in 2008

It’s no surprise that the championship challenge has created some tension within the McLaren set-up. McLaren won the constructors’ championship last season, but fighting another team for the championship as opposed to fighting your own teammate for the championship is a whole other ball game.

Despite competing for and winning drivers’ championships in other single-seater categories, the pressure of winning a title in the pinnacle of motorsport brings with it a whole lot of extra caveats.

McLaren have clearly had the far superior car throughout the 2025 season, with the classification in Hungary proving that as the McLarens finished 21 seconds ahead of George Russell in third place.

The race could have ended up very differently for both drivers. On the penultimate lap, Piastri narrowly missed crashing into the back of Norris. Running out of mileage left in the race, the Aussie went for a small gap but wisely backed out of it at the last moment, saving many red-cheeked faces in the garage.