In the shadows of teammate Oscar Piastri for much of this season, McLaren’s Lando Norris showed in Mexico that he, not the hard-charging Max Verstappen, is the biggest threat to the Australian’s F1 World Championship hopes.
Lando Norris proved that unequivocally at the Mexico Grand Prix, where he dominated all weekend and secured the all-important win—his sixth overall this season. With the win and Piastri failing to podium once again, the British driver overtook his teammate for the season lead, 357-356, with four races and a sprint remaining, and fortified his own chase of that prestigious F1 World Championship.
Verstappen, the four-time defending champ, continued his own impressive charge, taking third and further creeping in on the leaders as he is just 36 points behind Lando Norris and 35 behind Oscar Piastri.
The Oscar Piastri Problem
At the rate things are going, it’s likely that Piastri might not even finish top two this season—even after being in the overall lead since April. That’s because the Australian’s recent form has been dreadful, having gone winless in the past five races and failing to take a podium finish in the last four. Over that span, Piastri retired in Azerbaijan, settled for fourth in Singapore, and finished fifth in the USA and Mexico.
Because of this recent swoon, what was once a commanding 104-point lead just two months ago is no more for Piastri, who’s falling faster than a jet that just had its engine blown mid-flight. Worse, there appears to be no fix in sight for the Australian, who has admitted to being at a loss as to why what was working early in the season is no longer working now.
“It’s certainly been a learning experience for sure, I think,” Piastri said after the Mexico GP. “For some reason, the last couple of weekends have required a very different way of driving, and what’s worked well for me in the last 19 races has needed something very different the last couple of weekends, and trying to wrap my head around why has been a bit of a struggle.”
Lando Norris Is Ahead, But Challengers Are Near
While struggling, Piastri still has time to figure things out. Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi are beckoning, along with one last sprint to boot. That’s a lot of driving left, and it’s not like Piastri is out of the running for the title just yet.
Then again, the race for the F1 World Championship is most certainly down to three men: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Max Verstappen. And this race is definitely must-see TV.
