In the space of a few months, the F1 2025 Championship has taken a surprise turn. The first shock was the emergence of Max Verstappen as an outside contender, following his electric form after the summer break.
Verstappen managed to put himself in a title conversation which – in fairness to the Dutchman – he insisted was beyond his RB21.
In parallel to this has been Oscar Piastri’s poor form, with the Australian failing to win a race since Zandvoort. Piastri now finds himself 24 points behind Norris in the standings, something hardly anyone anticipated after he created a 30+ point gap.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Las Vegas GP, Verstappen admitted he is perplexed at the turn of fortunes at McLaren.
Max Verstappen perplexed by Piastri’s recent struggles
When Lando Norris retired from the Dutch GP with a mechanical failure, the consensus was that this year’s Championship was Piastri’s to lose.
Indeed, it seems the 24-year-old subscribed to this theory. When ordered to let Norris past at the Italian GP – something hardly ever asked of a driver in a title race, even against their teammate – Piastri followed McLaren’s instructions.
He explained his rationale post-race. Piastri explained that he didn’t deserve to finish ahead of Norris in Monza, based on his pace throughout the weekend.
The Australian outlined that his priority was to ensure in the next race, he would be ahead of his teammate and therefore avoid a similar situation. At the time, this logic seemed solid – given his performance until that point in the season.
However, Piastri might regret giving away those points and accepting team orders. In the races since Monza, the #81 car has struggled to match the pace of Lando Norris’ #4.
In a recent interview, Max Verstappen admitted his surprise at Piastri’s drop in speed.
“I have no explanation for that to be honest. I find it very bizarre. I didn’t expect it to go like this, although at the end of the day it’s not really my problem…
“Honestly, I also don’t know how this is possible,” he told Autosport when discussing Piastri’s form.
“I don’t know what has happened, or what hasn’t happened. So it’s difficult for me to judge.
“But I would probably have been a bit more annoyed, I think – when you’re that far ahead, and suddenly that far behind.”
No room for mistakes in Las Vegas
With just three rounds to go, Lando Norris is in a very strong position. He has outscored Piastri by almost 60 points since his Zandvoort DNF, a truly impressive feat – and potentially title-defining one.
Piastri needs to be be perfect to overturn his 24-point deficit to Norris, and also needs some luck. Even if he wins the remaining Grand Prix and Sprints, Norris can secure the crown by finishing in second.
This means that Max Verstappen, or another driver, needs to finish ahead of Norris to realise the Australian’s title hopes.
Of course, recent form suggests a scenario where both these things happen is unlikely. Then again, the upcoming Vegas GP could easily spring more surprises in the Championship battle.
Main photo: Zak Mauger/LAT Images (Red Bull Content Pool)
