According to *Sky Sports F1* commentator Martin Brundle, McLaren may need to decide sooner rather than later whether to support Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris in the battle for the F1 championship this season.
Currently, Piastri holds a 16-point advantage over Norris leading up to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. McLaren`s strong performance, particularly a perfect Sprint race weekend for scoring, has placed them well ahead, with Max Verstappen trailing the championship leader by 32 points.
Their dominance was particularly evident in Miami, where they finished more than thirty seconds ahead of George Russell in third place. After six rounds, Russell is now 38 points behind Piastri.
Brundle commented on *The F1 Show*, “The challenge for McLaren will be if Max Verstappen and George Russell consistently achieve strong results. Mercedes is also bringing an update to Imola that they seem optimistic about, and I expect all teams will improve to some degree.”
“If competitors like Verstappen and Russell are consistently performing,” Brundle continued, “there`s no doubt in my mind that Piastri and Norris will inevitably take points away from each other. McLaren must be cautious not to get so caught up in their internal battle that another driver sneaks in and claims the championship, much like Alain Prost did in 1986.”
Unlike McLaren, Verstappen doesn`t face the issue of a teammate directly competing for points against him within Red Bull. This has allowed him to maximize his results and remain a significant threat for the championship title.
Both Red Bull and Mercedes are anticipating performance improvements from upgrades arriving during the upcoming triple-header of races and a technical directive targeting `flexi-wings` at the Spanish Grand Prix later this month. These changes could help them close the gap to McLaren.
| Driver | Points |
|---|---|
| 1) Oscar Piastri, McLaren | 131 |
| 2) Lando Norris, McLaren | 115 |
| 3) Max Verstappen, Red Bull | 99 |
| 4) George Russell, Mercedes | 93 |
| 5) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari | 53 |
Does Verstappen Race Piastri Differently Compared to Norris?
The Miami race also provided the first notable wheel-to-wheel racing battles over multiple laps involving Verstappen and the McLaren pair.
Although Piastri had previously overtaken Verstappen in wet conditions in Melbourne and was assertive in Saudi Arabia, neither instance involved prolonged, direct racing combat between them.
Norris experienced Verstappen`s aggressive racing style last year, with Verstappen often prevailing and preventing Norris from winning in Austria, the USA, and Mexico City.
When asked if he believes Verstappen races the McLaren drivers differently, Brundle responded, “100 per cent, unquestionably. I think he recognizes that Oscar Piastri has a bit more of a `street fighter` approach, something he witnessed in Jeddah.”
“I believe Max knows,” Brundle added, “that he`s dealing with a slightly different competitor when Oscar is behind him compared to Lando.”
“It`s just the way Oscar positions his car; there`s a certain decisiveness in his actions. You can`t fault Lando`s race craft though, his overtakes on the Mercedes and eventually Max were absolutely top-notch.”
“But somehow, and from things Max himself has said,” Brundle stated with certainty, “I have no doubt that Max understands Oscar is a different proposition when racing wheel-to-wheel.”
“There`s just something about the way… Lando isn`t quite as decisive in how he positions his car during overtakes, but he will learn from this.”
“I believe that`s the current dynamic,” he concluded, “but I wouldn`t necessarily say it will remain that way for the entire season.”
Is Piastri Now the Title Favourite?
At the start of the 2025 season, Lando Norris was considered a joint-favourite for the championship alongside Max Verstappen, especially after Norris had shown an advantage over Piastri in the previous year and McLaren appeared to be improving.
However, following a mistake in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix where he went wide and spun, Piastri`s performance has shifted significantly. He has since outscored Norris by 39 points over the subsequent five races.
Brundle remarked, “He`s won four of the last six races and simply looks like genuine world championship material. His pace of improvement has been quite impressive, and he learns things very rapidly.”
“I believe we saw this potential towards the end of last year,” he added. “Did I anticipate it manifesting in such a strong way so quickly? Probably not.”
“He`s just consistently winning, and he appears so confident and unfazed by everything. He simply has that quality. I think his race craft is slightly stronger than Lando`s.”
The European part of the F1 season starts this weekend with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
