The Bull In their Mirrors: Verstappen Closes the Gap

By Grace Allen

Max Verstappen’s dominant display at the recent USA Grand Prix disrupts what Formula 1 fans certainly expected would be a McLaren clean sweep of the 2025 season. Oscar Piastri leads the standings on 346 points with his papaya teammate Lando Norris close behind on 332 and reigning champion Max Verstappen practically on their doorstep, quietly closing the gap with a solid 302 points.^[1]

A one-team title fight truly seemed inevitable, especially with McLaren putting their foot down, taking control, stacking up points from the very beginning. They secured P1 at the Australian season opener as well as the Miami GP, achieved their 50th 1-2 finish at the Chinese GP ^[2] and, most significantly, closed out the 2025 Constructors’ Championship at the Singapore GP with six races still remaining. ^[3] In contrast, Verstappen had a rockier start. A great indicator of how sudden his return has been is the drivers’ standings after the Hungarian GP, the 14th race of the season: Piastri led with 284 points, Norris followed with 275 while Verstappen trailed on 187. Only five races ago Verstappen was 97 points behind the current championship leader and 88 behind second place. This not only shows the unpredictability of Formula 1 but also the unpredictability of a certain Max Verstappen. ^[4]

McLaren’s Rise

To understand why Verstappen’s comeback matters so much, it’s worth looking at how McLaren built such a commanding lead in the first place. Prior to sealing the Constructors’ title in Singapore earlier this year, they were already reigning champions. Off the back of a strong 2024 season, it was McLaren’s mission to keep the momentum going and that’s exactly what they achieved.

McLaren’s success comes from a blend of factors rather than any single breakthrough. While a solid driver line-up has been crucial, the real leap lies in the machinery. The MCL39 is the first McLaren car designed entirely under their new technical structure. In practical terms, everything from chassis and engine design to the energy-recovery system has been elevated to a new level. This transformation has firmly established McLaren among Formula 1’s big three, cementing their drivers in the top tier for 2025 and solidifying their Constructors’ Championship status. ^[5]

Piastri’s Dip in Form

Attention then turns to McLaren’s resident Aussie, Oscar Piastri. Known among fans for his calm, composed attitude, nicknamed “Ice Boy” ^[6] for his relaxed approach, Piastri began the season cool and confident, delivering promising results throughout the opening rounds. However, in a recent turn of events his performance has shown what many fans view as an uncharacteristic dip.

At the USA Grand Prix, Piastri crashed out of the sprint race, qualified only sixth and finished fifth in the main event, a result below expectations for a driver tipped to dominate. ^[7] Looking back at his 2024 season, a familiar pattern begins to emerge. Around this same point last year, Piastri experienced a similar decline, struggling for pace at the Miami and Spanish Grands Prix, where he finished 13th and 7th. ^[2] With raw statistics now brought to the surface, the question now looms large: will Piastri slip into old habits and lose sight of the championship fight, or is this merely a bump in the road on his path to the finishing line?

Norris Finds His Rhythm

If Oscar Piastri has lost his momentum, it surely has to be Lando Norris who has picked it right back up. Norris has been upping his game with seven top three finishes in the last eleven races. His recent results reflect his push to surpass Piastri for number one in the standings and his aim to dethrone Verstappen as reigning world champion.

As previously mentioned, the USA GP seems to have uncovered many truths. Luckily for Norris’s side of the McLaren garage, he appears to be locked in with his eyes firmly set on the prize. He may have finished behind Max Verstappen this time, but after completing a solid race, overtaking Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, and securing that P2 position, alarm bells might not be sounding at McLaren just yet.

Tension at the Top

Formula 1 fans around the world are beginning to wonder whether this shift in narrative, from the McLaren pair working together to dominate the field, to whispers that Lando rather than Oscar is now carrying the weight of the team’s title hopes on his shoulders, could cause their hopes of a perfect 2025 season to come crashing down. This internal squabble, if it grows, might be the only thing capable of slowing McLaren’s charge — other than Max Verstappen, the bull in their mirrors.

References

[1] Sky Sports, 2025. “Formula 1 Standings”. Sky Sports. https://www.skysports.com/f1/standings

[2] Formula One, 2025. “Results”. Formula One. https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2025/races

[3] McLaren, 2025. “Standings”. McLaren.com. https://www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-1/standings/

[4] RacingNews365 staff, 2025. “2025 F1 championship standings after Hungarian Grand Prix”. RacingNews365, 3 Aug 2025. https://racingnews365.com/2025-f1-championship-standings-after-hungarian-grand-prix

[5] McLaren, 2025. “What is the technical specification of our Formula 1 car?”. McLaren, 17 Feb 2025. https://www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-1/2025/mcl39-technical-specification/

[6] Reuters, 2025. “Spanish GP: Oscar Piastri shuns ‘Ice Boy’ name after latest pole”. Reuters, 31 May 2025. https://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/45406551/spanish-gp-oscar-piastri-shuns-ice-boy-name-latest-pole

[7] Formula One, 2025. “Verstappen surges to commanding victory in US GP ahead of Norris and Leclerc”. Formula One, 19 Oct 2025. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/verstappen-surges-to-commanding- victory-in-us-gp-ahead-of-norris-and-leclerc.2JcVVmPiQJsn7Js9LpOJJ