Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are locked in one of the tightest intra-team battles Formula 1 has seen in years — and according to 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, they’re now level on outright speed. But he believes one factor could give Piastri a “scary” advantage in the 2025 title race.
Heading into the summer break, just nine points separate the McLaren pair at the top of the standings. The duo have finished first and second in each of the last four races — one short of the all-time F1 record — pulling clear of reigning champion Max Verstappen and setting up a straight fight for the crown when the season resumes at Zandvoort on August 29-31.
Norris entered the season as favourite after comfortably outscoring Piastri in their first two years together. But since his victory in Saudi Arabia back in April, the Australian has led the standings, aided by an 8–6 advantage in qualifying this year — a sharp reversal from 2024. Norris’s early-season mistakes, including a costly Canada crash into the back of Piastri, left him trailing by 22 points before he responded with three wins in four races.
“You can’t really say Lando is a smidge quicker anymore,” Rosberg told The F1 Show.
“Oscar has been extremely quick always… I see them kind of on a par. The championship is going to be decided in Lando’s head.”
Rosberg praised Piastri’s growth, calling him “super strong” with “no weaknesses anymore” — a quality he sees as dangerous for Norris.
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With ten races to go, neither driver has a clear edge. One slip in qualifying, a strategy misstep, or a single error under pressure could swing the title. The question is simple: in a fight this close, who blinks first?
