Oscar Piastri vs Lando Norris: Preview and Predictions of the F1 title battle

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are going to be the two drivers who will likely fight for the 2025 F1 drivers' championship. For a while, it did appear that Max Verstappen was going to be a factor and maybe a bit of a third wheel in the battle, but as things stand, it looks like it's going to come down to these two drivers.

As we get ready for the second half of the season, it's safe to say that the two drivers are as evenly matched as they could be. In terms of points, they're separated by just 9, with Oscar taking the lead. Both drivers have 4 pole positions each. In terms of wins, Oscar has 6 compared to Lando's 5.

There's just not much in there, and the pendulum of form has continued to swing from one direction to the other. What has, however, stayed consistent is that the two are very evenly matched.

With that being said, we are looking at the 2025 F1 championship being decided between either of the two. Will it be Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris? Let's take a look as we preview the battle for the title between the McLaren duo.

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Oscar Piastri vs Lando Norris

Strengths

Oscar Piastri

The biggest strength for the Australian this season has been the fact that you cannot point to a weekend this year where he has been off the pace. Every race, every weekend, he's more or less been the benchmark or very close to it, and hence what he's done is allowed himself to be right there in the thick of battle.

The McLaren this season is a car that has been suited to his style more or less, and coupled with his own improvements in qualifying, we have a driver who would put the car where it potentially needs to be.

Lando Norris

It's very hard to take this call between these two drivers, as they are often very close to each other, but it does appear that Lando Norris is arguably faster than Oscar Piastri as an overall package.

He has his struggles with a lot of things in general, and it does appear that the 2025 McLaren is not a car that's perfectly suited to his style, but it's safe to say that when the driver is comfortable in the car, he's the faster of the two.

Weaknesses

Oscar Piastri

With the kind of season Oscar Piastri has put together in 2025, it's hard to pinpoint too many areas where he's struggled. There is, however, one area where he's cost himself big points, and it's the unforced errors. The error in Melbourne proved to be a disaster.

Couple that with the race in Silverstone, where Oscar Piastri essentially cost himself a win, and you see a few chinks in the armor of the Australian.

Lando Norris

When it comes to Lando, his shortcomings have been well-documented. The biggest weakness for the Briton is his inability to win the small battles. Whether it is the late race overtake on Oscar in Canada or the final qualifying lap where everything is at stake, that's one area where he has struggled.

When the pressure builds, there's a mistake in Norris' driving, and it tends to surface even in 2025.

Recent Form (last 5 races)

In the last 5 races, Piastri has outqualified Norris on all but one occasion. At the same time, the Briton has won 3 of the last 5 races. Both drivers have been on the podium 4 times, with the one time that both missed out being Canada.

Even in terms of points, Piastri has scored 98 compared to 99 for Norris. All in all, there's not much to choose between the two drivers as they continue to go back and forth.

Prediction

On paper, the battle looks very, very close. Nothing is separating the two drivers when it comes to racing and performance. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have shown that they can get the job done on their day.

There is, however, one part of the game that only one of the two title contenders has shown until now. Championships are won by clinching the mini battles when the pressure is high and you need to deliver. Whether it is on the final lap of qualifying or pulling off what could be a decisive overtake in the race.

Out of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, it's the Australian who has shown the ability to get the job done when it comes to that. When the pressure is going to rise, we're going to see a scenario where both drivers have to deliver at their best.

While we've seen Oscar do that, we've also seen Lando crumble in that scenario. Which is precisely why, when it comes to making a pick on who will be the world champion at the end of the season, we're going with the Australian ending the continent's decades-long wait for a champion.