Lewis Hamilton finds it ‘mega’ to see McLaren leading the constructors and drivers’ standings through Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix.
The seven-time F1 champion has endured a disappointing start to his new life for Ferrari this season. But while Hamilton has only secured 53 points and has not finished a Grand Prix in a higher position than his P4 at Imola, the Briton likes that McLaren are fighting for both titles.
Hamilton started his F1 career at McLaren when they promoted their academy product back in 2007. Yet the Woking crew have not won the F1 drivers’ championship since Hamilton got his first of a joint-record seven titles in 2008, before he lifted six for Mercedes from 2013-24.
Piastri currently stands the best chance of ending McLaren’s wait for a drivers’ title ahead of the Monaco GP, with the Australian leading Norris with 146 points playing 133. Red Bull rival Max Verstappen passing Piastri to win the Emilia Romagna GP lifted him in P3 to 124 points.
Lewis Hamilton highlights qualifying as where Oscar Piastri ‘in particular’ delivers every race compared to Lando Norris
McLaren star Piastri beat Verstappen to pole for the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola for the 24-year-old’s third of not only the 2025 F1 season so far but even his Formula 1 career. He took pole for the first time as Piastri won the Chinese GP, and he even won from pole in Bahrain.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration
| Category | Lando Norris | Oscar Piastri |
| 2025 points | 133 | 146 |
| Grand Prix results | 3 | 4 |
| Grand Prix qualifying | 3 | 4 |
| Grand Prix wins | 1 | 4 |
| Grand Prix poles | 1 | 3 |
| Grand Prix podiums | 7 | 7 |
| Best finish | 1st | 1st |
| Retirements | 0 | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 4 | 1 |
| Grand Prix points finishes | 7 | 7 |
| Sprint results | 1 | 1 |
| Sprint Qualifying | 0 | 2 |
| Sprint wins | 1 | 0 |
| Sprint poles | 0 | 0 |
| Sprint podiums | 1 | 2 |
Hamilton also sees qualifying as where Piastri ‘in particular’ has delivered for McLaren every weekend compared to Norris during the first seven rounds of this season. After losing 15-7 and 20-4 in their qualifying head-to-heads in 2023 and 2024, he now leads 4-3 in 2025.
Hamilton has told RacingNews365: “It’s mega for me to see McLaren doing so well because that’s where I started. And also to see them so close, him and Lando – two great drivers.
“The pressure on both of them will be unimaginable, I would say, for most people that are not experiencing it. And although I’ve experienced it, it seems both Lando and in particular Oscar is doing a great, great job weekend in, weekend out delivering in qualifying.”
Oscar Piastri has seen Lando Norris crash in qualifying trying to match his one-lap speed
Norris got the better of Piastri in qualifying for the Grands Prix in Australia, Japan and Miami through the first seven rounds of the 2025 F1 season. The Australian, on the other hand, led McLaren’s efforts in qualifying for the Grands Prix in China, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Imola.
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Piastri has also qualified on the front row for every Grand Prix except for in Japan (P3) and in Miami (P4), whereas Norris has struggled for consistency in qualifying thus far. The 25-year-old had to deliver recovery drives after only qualifying P6 in Bahrain and P10 in Saudi Arabia.
Norris crashed in qualifying in Saudi Arabia trying to match Piastri after seeing the speed his McLaren teammate could carry through the fast Turn 4 left-hander. The Bristol native carried just too much pace into the turn to miss the apex and lost control of his car on the exit kerb.
