Summer Break Spotlight: Inside the McLaren Teammate Title Fight
There have been a few big stories so far this season: Lewis Hamilton’s struggles at Ferrari, Nico Hulkenberg’s first ever podium, the new Cadillac F1 team, etc. etc. However, the biggest headline by far has surrounded one key question: which McLaren driver will win the Driver’s Championship?! Ever since Melbourne, the two papaya drivers have been in a league of their own, miles ahead of every other driver in the standings. But the title isn’t settled yet - Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are literally neck and neck, separated by a mere 9 points as we exit the summer break. With only 10 Grands Prix left on the 2025 race calendar, which driver will pull ahead to secure the World Drivers’ Championship Trophy and which one will fall behind into second?
This season has been extremely competitive between the two teammates, with Piastri winning six races across the season and Norris not far behind with five season wins under his belt. With the exception of the Canadian Grand Prix (a traumatic day for McLaren fans), there has been at least one driver in papaya on every single podium this season - an impressive feat, considering McLaren was not even fighting for race wins just a few years ago. Piastri and Norris have successfully boxed out the other drivers in the championship; 4-time World Champion Max Verstappen currently holds third place but is a wild 97 points behind the McLarens. Similarly, McLaren seems to have one hand on the Constructor’s Championship already, with a massive amount of points - 559 to be exact. The closest team behind them is Ferrari at 260, and I think it’s safe to say that the Scuderia won’t be winning the title this year…
Norris and Piastri celebrating last year’s Constructor’s Championship victory. Photo courtesy of McLaren.
Of course, this isn’t the first intra-team WDC rivalry the sport has seen, or even the closest. The same thing happened in 1984 and 2016. In 1984, the closest championship fight in Formula 1 history, Niki Lauda claimed his 3rd world title by only half a point over his teammate Alain Prost, the final tally 72 to 71.5. Oddly enough, Lauda and Prost were racing for McLaren at that time too – the deja vu is real. It was a comeback win for Lauda, who had only won 5 races compared to Prost’s 7. It came down to the final race in Portugal, and even though Prost had won more races, his mistakes and failures allowed Lauda to pull ahead thanks to Lauda’s more consistent driving. Also similar to the current standings, the third-place finisher, Elio de Angelis, was far behind the two McLarens, with a total of 34 points and 0 wins. Note: it could be worse, Max Verstappen.
Almost every F1 fan knows what the “Brocedes” rivalry is, but in case you don’t, let me break it down for you: Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were childhood best friends, had a rough rivalry racing at Mercedes together, and were described by Sky Sports F1’s David “Crofty” Croft as being “friends, teammates, childhood buddy, rival, everything but a lover." Long story short, they had a very complicated relationship - and still do today. Things were at their most tense in 2016, when Rosberg and Hamilton were battling each other for the world title, in a fight known as the “Silver War.” By that time, Hamilton had claimed 3 championships, and as Nico's jealousy grew, their friendship soured. The two teammates crashed into each other at the Spanish Grand Prix, a peak moment in their feud. Despite the intense competition, Rosberg ended up winning the 2016 Driver’s Championship by only 5 points after being ahead by 1 halfway through the season.
Even though Hamilton won the race, Rosberg managed to clinch the championship. Photo courtesy of BBC.
These two iconic championships show how this year’s title fight could be anyone’s game: Norris could come back with a vengeance like Lauda did and claim this year’s trophy, or Piastri could keep his cool (and the lead) like Rosberg and easily steal it away. Both drivers have faced low points (most notably the British Grand Prix for Piastri and the Canadian Grand Prix for Norris), but they are strong drivers who both deserve to be the front runners of this season. Will Norris overcome his tendency to make mistakes and use his energetic driving style to surpass Piastri in points? Or will Piastri learn to control his anger issues and calmly stride to victory? Either way, McLaren will be celebrating a WDC, a WCC, and a second-place - a truly impressive feat. I can’t wait to see where this championship goes, and I’m glad that you are all along for the ride with me. As always, thanks so much for reading.
Lights out and away we go,
Lucy xx
