McLaren have started the 2025 Formula 1 season exactly how they ended the previous campaign.
Lando Norris completed two of the best drives of his F1 career to help McLaren win the constructors’ championship in Abu Dhabi, before navigating the difficult conditions in Australia at the beginning of this year.
Oscar Piastri was nearly perfect at his home Grand Prix, but one error saw him throw away a certain podium and potential race win and have to settle for a P9 finish.
The Australian suddenly had a 23-point deficit to make up to his teammate, and with McLaren possessing the fastest car on the grid, it was a big setback for his championship ambitions.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Lando Norris |
44 |
| 2 |
Max Verstappen |
36 |
| 3 |
George Russell |
35 |
| 4 |
Oscar Piastri |
34 |
| 5 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
22 |
| 6 |
Alexander Albon |
16 |
| 7 |
Esteban Ocon |
10 |
| 8 |
Lance Stroll |
10 |
| 9 |
Lewis Hamilton |
9 |
| 10 |
Charles Leclerc |
8 |
Piastri entered the Chinese Grand Prix with a point to prove and demonstrated that across the race weekend.
Former F1 team principal Guenther Steiner was particularly impressed and believes he’s seen a change in the 23-year-old that means he’s now ‘got the edge’ over Norris.
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Guenther Steiner spots how Oscar Piastri has the edge over McLaren teammate Lando Norris
Steiner was speaking on The Red Flags Podcast after the race in Shanghai and when asked about who he believes is leading the way between the two McLaren drivers, he said: “I think Oscar, at the moment, has got the edge.
“In China, in my opinion, he showed that he has got the edge. I think all the time he was better, I would say.
“So I don’t know, maybe Lando didn’t like China, a little bit like me.
“If I would have to put money now on the world champion, I would put it on Oscar Piastri.
“And you saw him speaking after the pole position qualifying, in the interview, he seemed to be pretty upbeat because normally he doesn’t speak a lot.
“You could really see that he’s enjoying it. And I think he wants more of it because he enjoyed that quite a bit. So, I think he’s in a good position now.”
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How Oscar Piastri produced a nearly-perfect weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix
It was clear before heading to China that Piastri had taken a step forward over the winter.
McLaren team orders stopped Piastri from challenging Norris during the race in Australia, although it was a sensible decision from the team given the conditions and the backmarkers that both cars were trying to pass.
Piastri outqualified Norris for the Sprint Race although neither driver hooked up the perfect lap.
A moment to remember 🥇🧡#McLaren | @OscarPiastri pic.twitter.com/deaBwlcARU
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) March 24, 2025
Norris made an error on the opening lap that saw him only pick up a single point, while Piastri managed to find his way past Max Verstappen before running out of time to catch Lewis Hamilton and take the win.
He didn’t make that mistake again in the race, taking the first pole position of his F1 career and leading from start to finish from his teammate.
Norris is nervous about the outcome of his battle with Piastri, and while he still holds a slender advantage in the standings, that could easily be eradicated by the time the next race weekend ends in Japan.
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