Oscar Piastri is bidding to become Australia’s first F1 champion since 1980, but he has now seen his McLaren teammate Lando Norris cut his lead down to only eight points.
The papaya pals will go into this week’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa facing their tightest margin in the F1 drivers’ championship since Norris won the Monaco Grand Prix. His triumph on the streets of the Principality left the Briton a mere three points shy of Piastri after eight rounds.
Piastri will hope to respond at the Belgian GP to Norris’ threat like how he managed in Spain after winning from pole position in Barcelona. Finishing behind the 25-year-old at Spa could cost the Melbourne native his championship lead as the Belgian GP also boasts an F1 Sprint.
Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty ImagesOscar Piastri’s development in an F1 title fight has ‘really impressed’ David Coulthard
Piastri has led the F1 drivers’ championship since he won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix back in April to dethrone Norris after a mere 35 days. But just eight points separate the McLaren stars on 234 and 226 ahead of round 13 in Belgium, where neither papaya pal has yet won.
Former McLaren F1 driver David Coulthard has been particularly ‘impressed’ by how Piastri has developed this year, knowing that the 2025 F1 season could be his only chance to win a title. F1’s 2026 engine and chassis regulation changes could shake up the order of the field.
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ROUNDCHAMPIONSHIP LEADERMARGIN AT MCLARENAustralian Grand PrixLando Norris (25 points)23 points over Oscar PiastriChinese Grand PrixLando Norris (44 points)10 points over Oscar PiastriJapanese Grand PrixLando Norris (62 points)13 points over Oscar PiastriBahrain Grand PrixLando Norris (77 points)3 points over Oscar PiastriSaudi Arabian Grand PrixOscar Piastri (99 points)10 points over Lando NorrisMiami Grand PrixOscar Piastri (131 points)16 points over Lando NorrisEmilia Romagna Grand PrixOscar Piastri (146 points)13 points over Lando NorrisMonaco Grand PrixOscar Piastri (161 points)3 points over Lando NorrisSpanish Grand PrixOscar Piastri (186 points)10 points over Lando NorrisCanadian Grand PrixOscar Piastri (198 points)22 points over Lando NorrisAustrian Grand PrixOscar Piastri (216 points)15 points over Lando NorrisBritish Grand PrixOscar Piastri (234 points)8 points over Lando Norris
Coulthard has told the F1 website. “This could be their only chance to win a world title. We don’t know what 2026 brings [and] we don’t know what the future is, so you’ve got to seize the moment.
“That’s why I’m really impressed with how Oscar has stepped up this year. But Lando’s response over the last two races is showing his quality, as well. I think it’s going to be one of those things where both of them deserve it, but only one can get it.”
Oscar Piastri has proven he can respond to Lando Norris’ threat whilst improving in 2025
Piastri can become the first driver to win the FIA F3, F2 and F1 titles since the junior series were rebranded in 2019 and 2017 if he sees through his lead in the 2025 F1 championship. The McLaren racer won the F3 title as a rookie in 2020 and the F2 title as a rookie in 2021.
He would also become the first driver to win all three titles including from the GP3 and GP2 Series eras, as no GP3 champion has yet won the F1 title. Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton are the only drivers to win the GP2 title and then go on to win the Formula 1 crown to date.
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Photo by Jay Hirano/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
But Piastri needed to improve significantly to lead Norris in the 2025 F1 standings ahead of the Belgian GP. McLaren told Piastri to improve his qualifying in 2025, in particular, after he lost 20-4 to the Bristol native in their Grand Prix head-to-head battle over the 2024 season.
How Piastri improved in qualifying has astounded Jolyon Palmer, as well, having overturned what was his major weakness compared to Norris into one of his biggest strengths this year. Thanks to Norris’ inconsistent form during Q3 sessions, Piastri leads their head-to-head 7-5.
Piastri also leads Norris 2-0 in F1 Sprint Qualifying sessions ahead of the Belgian GP, where one of the McLaren drivers will break their 6-6 tie for Grand Prix results this season and 1-1 tie for Sprint results. And Piastri has responded well when his back has been up to the wall.
While Norris won the season-opener in Melbourne from pole position, Piastri recovered to P9 after spinning from P2 in the Australian Grand Prix to immediately find himself 23 points behind in the championship. It took Piastri four Grands Prix and one F1 Sprint to lead by 10.
Norris put the pressure back on Piastri’s shoulders with his win in Monaco, but the 24-year-old hit back in Spain and benefitted from their collision in Canada. McLaren saw their pilots collide in Montreal, as Norris drove into Piastri in the Canadian GP during their fight for P4.
But from his low in Montreal came great highs, as Norris won the Austrian Grand Prix from pole and won the British Grand Prix last time out. Piastri’s time penalty gave Norris the win at the British GP after drawing a 10-second penalty due to a safety car restart infringement.