Lando Norris vs Oscar Piastri: How 2025 F1 world championship title battle between McLaren duo developed into a thriller

With Formula 1's 2025 season heading towards a thrilling finale, look back at a race-by-race recap of Lando Norris' delicately-poised battle with Oscar Piastri for the drivers' title.

After a challenge from Max Verstappen, the McLaren pair remain the clear favourites as they each seek a maiden world championship, having already combined to win their team a second successive constructors' title.

The battle has ebbed and flowed all season, with Norris having overturned a 34-point deficit to take a 24-point lead with back-to-back victories in Mexico and Brazil.

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Everything is still to play for over the final rounds of the season, which resumes with the Las Vegas Grand Prix from November 21-23, with every session from each race live on Sky Sports F1.

Australian GP: Norris triumphs as Piastri spins on home soil

Norris started the season perfectly by converting pole position into victory as he mastered a chaotic opener in mixed conditions.

He was challenged for the majority of the race by team-mate Piastri until huge drama on Lap 44 when sudden heavy rain led to both McLarens sliding wide in the final sector. Norris managed to swiftly get back on the road but Piastri, much to the devastation of his home fans, got stuck on the wet grass for over a minute.

Norris held off Verstappen in the closing stages to take a thrilling win, while Piastri could only recover to ninth.

POINTS: Norris 25-2 Piastri

Chinese GP: Piastri hits back at first 2025 Sprint weekend

Piastri followed Lewis Hamilton home in the first Sprint of the season while Norris paid the price for a poor Sprint Qualifying and a difficult opening lap, ending the shortened contest in eighth.

Although George Russell split the McLarens in main Qualifying, Piastri pinched the Mercedes driver on the run down to Turn 1 which allowed Norris to get into second place.

The McLaren duo held onto those positions at the chequered flag, although Norris needed to manage a brake issue in the last eight laps as he narrowly held off Russell.

POINTS: Norris 44-34 Piastri

Japanese GP: Norris edges Piastri as Verstappen wins

Max Verstappen paused talk of an all-McLaren title battle by producing a mighty lap to take pole position at Suzuka before going on to win his first race of the season by holding off Norris and Piastri.

The top three started and finished in the same positions with Norris almost getting alongside Verstappen during the only pit stop of the race.

Piastri got close to challenging Norris towards the end of the Grand Prix but ultimately had to settle for third.

POINTS: Norris 62-49 Piastri

Bahrain GP: Piastri dominates as Norris endures messy weekend

Piastri found his groove in Bahrain to put together a flawless weekend that saw him take pole position before cruising to a lights-to-flag race victory.

It was far less straightforward for Norris as another qualifying blunder left him starting from sixth, before a five-second time penalty for starting from beyond his grid slot stiffened his task.

His spirit couldn't be questioned as he came through tussles with the Ferraris of both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to get back up to third, but a messy afternoon ultimately saw him run out of time to take second from Russell and his championship lead reduced to three points.

POINTS: Norris 77-74 Piastri

Saudi Arabian GP: Piastri earns title lead with win after Norris crash

Norris' qualifying woes reached new heights in Saudi Arabia as he this time found one of the waiting walls of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Thankfully for him, the accident came in Q3 so he was at least assured of 10th on the grid as Piastri qualified second behind Verstappen.

Piastri showed his championship mettle by getting the better of Verstappen at the start, with the Dutchman's desperate attempts to stay in front earning him a time penalty that would set the McLaren up for victory.

Norris put together a strong charge to put himself in podium contention, but was ultimately denied a podium by Leclerc as Piastri earned his first ever lead of the Drivers' Championship.

POINTS: Norris 89-99 Piastri

Miami GP: Piastri seals hat-trick of wins

The second Sprint weekend of the season provided plenty of drama as Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli took a shock Sprint pole for Mercedes, before Norris benefitted from a timely Safety Car to beat Piastri in a wet-dry 19-lap contest.

Verstappen snatched another grand prix pole from Norris but with Piastri only fourth on the grid the Brit was set up to make ground on his team-mate.

It went wrong for Norris at the start as a tussle with Verstappen left him off the tarmac and down in sixth. While he was fighting his way back through the field, Piastri was masterfully taking the lead from Verstappen.

Norris eventually got past Verstappen after another battle, but had once more given up too much ground to be able to challenge Piastri for the win, with the Australian stretching out his lead in the standings.

POINTS: Norris 115-131 Piastri

Emilia-Romagna GP: Norris makes late pass on Piastri to stop rot

Having seen Piastri win three successive races, Norris stopped the rot with a late overtake on his team-mate to take second in Imola as Verstappen delivered another upset.

Piastri started on pole but was passed around the outside by Verstappen at the first chicane. McLaren pitted Piastri early but the Australian lost time in the traffic, while Norris eventually extended his first stint in a McLaren split of strategies.

A Safety Car then played into Norris' hands, putting him on the back of second-placed Piastri with much fresher tyres, which led to an overtake around the outside of Turn 2 with six laps remaining to reduce his championship deficit.

POINTS: Norris 133-146 Piastri

Monaco GP: Norris masters Monaco

Norris took the all-important pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix and then overcame the introduction of a second mandatory pit stop, which the FIA had hoped would spice of the race.

The fact that the new rules didn't change much suited Norris just fine, with Piastri having to settle for tor third having been out-qualified by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

The result almost put Norris back on level terms.

POINTS: Norris 158-161 Piastri

Spanish GP: Piastri dominates in Barcelona

Scruffy laps in Q3 for Norris and a great effort from Piastri gave the latter his fourth pole of the season.

Verstappen jumped Norris at the start and by the time the McLaren driver had got back ahead on Lap 13, Piastri was well clear.

A late Safety Car for Kimi Antonelli's broken Mercedes brought the field together with seven laps remaining, but Piastri nailed the restart and Norris never got close to challenging him for the win.

POINTS: Norris 176-186 Piastri

Canadian GP: It finally happened! Norris and Piastri collide

A new version of the McLaren suspension designed to give Norris a more favourable feeling at the front of the car appeared to boost the Brit as he impressed throughout practice, but another error-strewn Q3 left him only seventh on the grid as Piastri took third.

As front-row occupants George Russell and Verstappen battled for the win, Piastri faced late pressure from the charging Norris in the fight for fourth, before disaster struck!

Norris went for it with five laps to go at the Turn 10 hairpin but Piastri ducked back underneath, and the McLaren duo ran side by side down the back straight. Piastri got ahead into the final chicane, only for Norris to have a better exit so he looked for a gap that was never really there as they crossed the finish line, hitting the rear of his team-mate and dramatically crashing out.

Norris accepted blame immediately and apologised to the team and Piastri, with the Australian quite happily accepting having been able to build his biggest lead of the year by finishing fourth.

POINTS: Norris 176-198 Piastri

Austrian GP: Norris bounces back

Norris continued to look more comfortable in the upgraded McLaren as he took a dominant pole, with Piastri having to settle for third on the grid behind Leclerc after having his second flying lap in Q3 ruined by yellow flags.

The Australian put that disappointment behind him by immediately passing the Ferrari on the opening lap, setting up a race-long battle for victory between the McLarens.

Piastri showed impressive pace to push Norris all the way, but the latter kept his composure to complete a perfect response to the drama of Canada.

POINTS: Norris 201-216 Piastri

British GP: Piastri's costly error gifts Norris home win

Having both been stunned by Verstappen again in qualifying, rain on race day played into the McLaren drivers' hands at Silverstone.

Piastri easily got past as the Dutchman struggled in the wet with a wrong set-up but was punished for blunder on a Safety Car restart on Lap 21.

The Australian was deemed to have braked "erratically" after the Safety Car lights went out which saw Verstappen dart to the right to avoid his rival, so Piastri was given a 10-second time penalty.

He served it at the final pit stop when the drivers switched for slicks which gave Norris the lead and a special home win to the delight of the British fans.

POINTS: Norris 226-234 Piastri

Belgian GP: Piastri brilliance extends championship lead

Piastri lost out to Verstappen in a tense Belgian Grand Prix Sprint, with Norris finishing behind the leading duo in third. However, Piastri made up for it with some magic on the opening lap of the main race on the next day.

Norris took pole but in wet conditions, Piastri timed his run perfectly through Eau Rouge to get into Norris' slipstream and breeze past his team-mate on the Kemmel Straight.

He did not put a foot wrong over the remaining 43-and-a-half laps, even with Norris on the theoretically better hard tyres compared to Piastri on the mediums when the drivers switched to slicks.

Three crucial small errors from Norris meant he never got close to closing down his nine-second deficit to Piastri after the only pit stop phase.

POINTS: Norris 250-266 Piastri

Hungarian GP: Norris fends off Piastri in thriller

Leclerc upstaged the McLarens in a dramatic qualifying at the Hungaroring, leaving Piastri second and Norris third, but the Brit would drop to fifth on the opening lap of the race.

However, with a two-stop race expected, Piastri attempted to undercut Leclerc at the first round of pit stops but was unable to execute it, while Norris, who had recovered to fourth before the trio ahead of him pitted, opted to gamble on a one-stop strategy. After Leclerc and Piastri pitted for a second time, Norris was leading but with significantly worse tyres for the final stint.

Piastri passed Leclerc and whittled away a 12-second deficit to Norris to set up a grandstand finale. With five laps to go, the Australian got into DRS range. He had a half-look to the inside of Norris into Turn 1 with three laps remaining then gave McLaren a scare as he locked up at the start of the penultimate lap and nearly hit his team-mate.

After a reminder from the pit wall to Piastri of his responsibilities over the radio, Norris held on and take a crucial win to leave the title race finely poised going into the sport's summer break.

POINTS: Norris 275-284 Piastri

Dutch GP: Piastri wins as disaster strikes for Norris

Norris looked set to repeat his Dutch dominance of 2024 as he topped all three practice sessions in Zandvoort, but Piastri turned the tables when it mattered most to snatch pole.

Norris' hopes suffered a further blow as he lost out to Verstappen at the start, and was left to battle his way back past the Red Bull before setting about chasing down Piastri.

After pushing Piastri hard through the middle stages of the race, Norris appeared to have settled for second when disaster struck, as smoke emerged from the back of his car with seven laps to go.

The crestfallen Brit had to park it, causing a huge 25-point swing in Piastri's favour and arguably making the title the Australian's to lose with nine rounds to go.

POINTS: Norris 275-309 Piastri

Italian GP: Norris makes ground amid pit-stop controversy

Norris once more appeared to have the edge over Piastri throughout practice in Italy, and while he would maintain an advantage in qualifying, it was not enough for pole as Verstappen left the McLarens second and third.

The race appeared to be playing out with little prospect of the top three positions changing, with Verstappen comfortable out front and Piastri not quick enough to seriously challenge Norris, but the situation changed very suddenly.

McLaren broke protocol by pitting Piastri, running behind Norris, first to mitigate the risk of the Australian being undercut by the Ferrari of Leclerc. When Norris stopped a lap later, a fault with a wheel gun caused a slow stop and he emerged from the pits behind Piastri.

McLaren quickly ordered Piastri to give the position back to Norris. He questioned the logic at first but swiftly obliged and insisted he was okay with the decision after the race. The team order meant it was Norris, rather than Piastri, who gained three points in the title battle.

POINTS: Norris 293-324 Piastri

Azerbaijan GP: Norris fails to punish Piastri errors

Having barely made a mistake since the opening race of the season, Piastri made two huge ones in Baku. The championship leader hit the wall in the final part of qualifying to leave himself ninth on the grid, but Norris failed to capitalise as an uninspiring lap left him only seventh.

Piastri remarkably repeated his mistake, slamming into the barriers on the opening lap of the race to once more open the door for Norris to make inroads.

However, a couple of sloppy moments in the early stages of the race from Norris and another slow McLaren pit stop later on were factors in preventing him from improving his starting position by the chequered flag.

The gap was reduced to 25 points, but it was actually a second successive victory for Verstappen that grabbed the title-race headlines, with some arguing the Dutchman had put himself back in the hunt after closing to within 69 points of Piastri.

POINTS: Norris 299-324 Piastri

Singapore GP: Piastri questions McLaren fairness after Norris collision

McLaren sealed the Constructors' Championship in Singapore, but the team's celebrations were overshadowed by a controversial collision between Piastri and Norris.

After Mercedes' George Russell took a surprise pole ahead of Verstappen, Piastri and Norris had to settle for third and fifth, respectively, on the grid.

Norris surged past Kimi Antonelli at the start and then attempted a move on Piastri, but made contact with the back of Verstappen's Red Bull, causing him to oversteer and bump wheels with his team-mate on his way through to third. Piastri suggested over the radio that the team should take action against Norris for causing the collision, and then fumed that the situation was "not fair" when his request was rejected.

Their positions would remain unchanged at the chequered flag, with Norris taking three more points out of Piastri's championship lead as Russell led Verstappen home.

McLaren would confirm ahead of the next round that Norris would face "repercussions" for making contact with Piastri, which was understood by most to mean that the Australian would receive run-priority in qualifying for the rest of the season.

POINTS: Norris 314-336 Piastri

United States GP: McLaren Sprint crash gives Verstappen title hope

While Piastri had been passed by Norris at the first corner, his general performance and pace in Singapore had still been pretty solid. The same could not be said in the United States.

The repercussions would be short-lived as Piastri earned himself a levelling rebuke by unwittingly taking himself and Norris out at the first corner of the Sprint race in Austin.

Pole-sitter Verstappen took victory in the Sprint, and then backed it up with pole and a race victory in the full-length events to close within 40 points of Piastri with five rounds remaining, establishing himself as a genuine threat for the title.

Despite not being able to match Verstappen, Norris continued a pretty clean weekend after the Sprint DNF to qualify and finish second behind the Red Bull.

Piastri couldn't steady himself after the Sprint collision and had to settle for fifth in the race after qualifying sixth, allowing Norris to close within 14 points.

POINTS: Norris 332-346 Piastri

Mexico City GP: Norris wins to reclaim title lead

The gulf between the McLaren drivers remained in Mexico as Norris delivered perhaps his best weekend of the season.

The Brit dominated qualifying to take pole position by a margin of almost three tenths of a second to his nearest challenger, who he was delighted to find was neither Piastri nor Verstappen.

The Dutchman was fifth, while Piastri's struggles continued as he could only manage eighth, which would become seventh on the grid due to a penalty for Carlos Sainz.

Norris would cruise to victory by 30 seconds, while Piastri could only fight his way back to fifth, which meant the Brit reclaimed the title-race lead for the first time since April.

Verstappen salvaged a podium which meant he moved closer to the title lead, but losing ground to the in-form Norris ultimately stiffened his task.

POINTS: Norris 357-356 Piastri

Sao Paulo GP: Norris pulls clear with perfect weekend as Piastri unravels

Norris picked up where he left off in Mexico to take Sprint pole on Friday at Interlagos, but how crucial being at the front of the grid would prove remained in major doubt overnight amid the threat of a storm on Saturday.

The rain was ultimately far less heavy than expected, but would still have a major impact. Running in third, where he had qualified, Piastri would run over a wet kerb and spin off into the barrier. There seemed to be an element of misfortune, with water perhaps spread by Norris running over the kerb moments earlier, as Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto spun off at the same corner that lap.

Norris maintained his superb form to take pole for the main race, while Piastri was once more unable to match his team-mate as he finished almost four tenths back in fourth.

The Australian would attempt to make up two places at once at Turn One during an early Safety Car restart, but came unstuck as a lock-up sent him into Antonelli, who made subsequent contact with Leclerc that took the Ferrari out of the race. The stewards decided Piastri was to blame and gave him a 10-second penalty, which would drop him down the field at the first round of pit stops. He would battle forwards but could once more only manage fifth.

Norris completed a flawless weekend to make it two wins a row, opening up a commanding 24-point lead over Piastri. Despite producing a fine comeback drive to finish third, Verstappen would rule himself out of the title race after falling 49 points back from the Brit with just three rounds remaining.

POINTS: Norris 390-366 Piastri

Formula 1's thrilling title race continues with the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 21-23, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime