McLaren might have to back Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris earlier in F1 title race says Martin Brundle | F1 News

McLaren might have to make an early choice to back Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris in this year’s F1 title race according to Sky Sports F1‘s Martin Brundle.

Piastri leads Norris by 16 points ahead of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, and McLaren’s perfect Sprint weekend in terms of scoring has left Max Verstappen 32 points off the championship lead.

Miami was McLaren’s most dominant weekend yet as they finished over half a minute clear of third-placed George Russell, who is 38 points adrift of Piastri after six rounds.

“The problem McLaren are going to have is if Max Verstappen and George Russell keep pumping in the results, and Mercedes have got an update coming at Imola that they’re quite excited about, but I’m sure they’ll all improve to an extent,” said Brundle on The F1 Show.

“If they’re there, there’s no doubt in my mind that Piastri and Norris will take points off each other. So they’ve got to be careful that they’re not so focused on each other that somebody else comes in and wins the championship, as Alain Prost did in 1986.”

Verstappen does not have to worry about Red Bull team-mate Yuki Tsunoda taking points from him and has largely maximised his points haul to still be a realistic threat in the championship.

Both Red Bull and Mercedes will rely on upgrades across the upcoming triple-header and a regulation change at the Spanish Grand Prix at the end of this month to clamp down on flexi-wings, which could bring them closer to McLaren.

“The problem McLaren have got is, if you wait until somebody is mathematically out of the world championship, that’s going to be October, November time, in this championship.

“So, McLaren might have to take a decision before that to make a choice. It depends how it unfolds, but they won’t be thinking about that until the summer break, at least.”

Does Verstappen race Piastri differently to Norris?

Miami also showcased the first serious wheel-to-wheel action over several laps between Verstappen and the McLaren drivers.

While Piastri overtook Verstappen in the rain in Melbourne and also got his elbows out in Saudi Arabia, on both occasions the drivers did not show off their racing combat skills.

Norris discovered the aggressive side of Verstappen last year and the latter generally came out on top, denying Norris the chance of victory in Austria, USA and Mexico City.

Asked if he thinks Verstappen races the McLaren drivers differently, Brundle said: “100 per cent, unquestionably. I think he knows that there’s something a bit more street fighter about Oscar Piastri, and he saw it in Jeddah.

“I think Max knows he’s got a different animal when Oscar’s in his mirrors, not by much, than Lando.

“Just the positioning of the car, there’s a decisiveness about what he did. You can’t criticise Lando’s race craft because the way he passed the Mercedes, and eventually Max, was top drawer.

“But somehow, I have absolutely no doubt, and just words he says as well, that Max realises Oscar’s a different deal in wheel-to-wheel combat.”

He added: “There’s just something in the way… Lando’s not quite as decisive how he places the car when he’s overtaking, and he’ll learn from that.

“I think that’s exactly where they are but I wouldn’t say that’s going to stay like that for the rest of the season.”

Piastri favourite for the championship?

Coming into 2025, Norris was joint-favourite for the championship alongside Verstappen after the British driver had the upper hand on Piastri last year and McLaren on an upward trajectory.

But, since his mistake at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix when he ran wide and spun, Piastri has turned the tables and outscored Norris by 39 points over the last five events.

Brundle said: “He’s won four of the last six and is just looking like absolute world championship material. I think his rate of improvement has been pretty mighty, and he picks things up really quickly.

“Towards the end of last year, I think we saw this kind of potential. Did I expect it to arrive in such style so quickly? Probably no, I didn’t.

“He’s just winning, winning, winning and he looks so confident about it and he’s so unflustered about anything and everything. He’s just got it there. I think his racecraft is a touch stronger than Lando’s.”

F1’s European season begins with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime