New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) The 2025 Formula 1 season continues to thrill, with McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris locked in a fierce battle for the championship.
Heading into the Hungarian Grand Prix, Piastri holds a slender 16-point lead over his teammate following a dominant win in Belgium — but according to McLaren CEO Zak Brown, the fight between the two is too close to call.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Brown admitted that there is little to separate Piastri and Norris on current form, with the team having secured 10 wins from 13 races so far this season — most of them one-twos.
“They both do because they’re winning a lot and getting one-twos,” Brown said when asked who currently holds the momentum. “I think Oscar was a little disappointed with qualifying in Belgium. Lando was very happy. I’m sure he’ll be a little bummed that he didn’t win today, but it’s coming off of two wins. I think it’s going to be a coin toss every weekend.”
Brown was full of praise for the 24-year-old Australian. “Oscar is a machine. And what’s impressive is how aggressive he is, and yet he always brings the car home. That’s quite a talent.”
Despite McLaren’s recent dominance and Max Verstappen slipping 81 points behind championship leader Piastri, Brown is not ready to count the Red Bull star out just yet.
“I think it’s too early. It’s looking good, but Max… there’s a lot of racing left to go. We’ve got a nice gap but I wouldn’t say we’re there,” Brown cautioned. “We’ve all been around this sport too long. To start dancing before you’re in the end zone is a very dangerous thing to do.”
Team Principal Andrea Stella echoed Brown’s view on the closeness of the intra-team fight, emphasizing that both drivers will be given equal opportunity to let the championship play out on merit.
“There is very, very little between our two drivers, and this is because the two drivers are racing at very, very high level,” said Stella. “We are lucky at McLaren to have two drivers that are deservedly fighting for the World Championship. I think the difference will be made by the accuracy, the precision and the quality of the execution.”
Stella pointed to recent examples where small mistakes or unfortunate circumstances decided race outcomes. “We saw in Silverstone that a sporting issue for Oscar during the Safety Car restart and penalty cost him the race. In Spa, it was always going to be very difficult for Lando to keep the position, starting first at the Safety Car restart. At the same time, I think Lando didn’t help himself by not having a great gap on the finish line. So I think the execution is what is going to make the main difference.”
Piastri and Norris, teammates since 2023, have enjoyed a respectful rivalry. While Norris had the edge last season, Piastri has come into his own in 2025, currently edging the Briton 7-6 in qualifying battles.
–IANS
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