McLaren’s dominance reaches new heights in 2025. Teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri not only form the fastest duo of the season, but also jointly lead the drivers’ championship. After nine Grand Prix, the difference between them is only ten points. So far, Norris and Piastri have shown mutual respect, but according to the Brit, it’s only a matter of time before a collision on the track occurs.
Now that McLaren has by far the fastest car on the grid, some fans are hoping for a papaya war – a title fight between two teammates, similar to Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes. In the run-up to the Canadian Grand Prix, Lando Norris was asked about his battle with Piastri. Will we ever see the duo collide on the track? “It’s not a question of if, but when,” said the 25-year-old Brit. “We’ve never claimed that we want to avoid a collision. We’ve actually been quite open about the fact that something is likely to happen at some point.”
A Healthy, Enjoyable Rivalry
So far, Oscar Piastri has had the upper hand, with five victories in the first nine Grand Prix. Norris, who started the season with a series of mistakes – particularly in qualifying – continues to keep pace with his teammate. During the recent triple header, he has made a decent comeback, although he had to concede superiority to his Australian colleague again in Barcelona. “The most important thing is that we remain strong as a team,” Norris stated. “Everything else is open and clear between us. We both want to win, we want to beat each other, but in the end, only one can be the best over the entire season.”
While Norris convincingly won the qualifying duels last year, the picture has changed in 2025. Piastri has already won five qualifications from his teammate – more than in all of 2024. “He has made progress in many areas,” Norris acknowledged, although this could also be due to the experience Piastri has gained. “It’s his third season in Formula 1. I remember feeling much more confident and knowledgeable in my third year. You can see that in him now. He’s performing at an incredibly high level and deserves everything he’s achieving at the moment. It’s a healthy, enjoyable rivalry between us.”
