The stage has been set for a Formula 1 championship that could be remembered for generations.
Nineteen grand prix ago, when the season – the last in the current era of regulations – began, there was excitement within the paddock and among fans because the competition was expected to be extremely close and at least four teams were seen to be vying for the coveted Constructors’ and Drivers’ championships. Adding to the excitement was seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari, the most storied team in the sport’s history.
Just six races into the season, however, it became clear that McLaren, who won the Constructors’ championship last year for the first time since 1998, were clear of the pack and their drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, emerged as favourites to win the Drivers’ championship. The intra-team contest between Norris, who is in his seventh season in Formula 1, and Piastri, only in his third, also rapidly began swinging in favour of the younger driver.
Five Grand Prix ago, Piastri led Norris by 34 points in the Drivers’ championship and four-time world champion and arguably the best driver in Formula 1 currently, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, by 104, and the contest was seen as done and dusted. The season appeared to be set for a boring end, with only a battle between an in-command Piastri and an out-of-form Norris to look forward to. Compounding the boredom was the fact that the drivers were made to play nice by McLaren and their infamous “Papaya Rules” (meant to ensure that both drivers race hard, but fair, without a clear number 1 in the team).
Then came the summer break and a Red Bull resurgence that has turned the season on its head.
Some bad luck and a slump in form have meant that Piastri now leads Norris by only 14 points and Verstappen by 40. While the Norris comeback is not much of a surprise, given the narrow difference between him and Piastri, Verstappen’s certainly is. The Dutch driver has clawed back 64 points against the Australian championship leader, with 23 of these coming in the last event itself – 8 points in the Sprint and 15 in the Grand Prix at Austin last week.
The form has also flipped. Verstappen, with 68 Grand Prix victories under his belt against Piastri’s nine, can now smell blood in the water and is delivering one masterclass after another, while Piastri has not even managed to make it to the podium in the last three Grand Prix. Norris also appears to be doing well, and so, while the championship table reads Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, in terms of form, it’s now Verstappen, Norris and Piastri.
Mindset
In the five Grand Prix and two sprints remaining, 141 points are up for grabs and Verstappen’s brilliance means he is genuinely in contention. The four-time champion, who had been cagey about speaking on the possibility so far, also opened up about it after his win in the sprint and race in Austin, saying the “chance is there”.
“We just need to try to deliver these weekends to the end of the year, so yeah, we’ll at least try whatever we can,” the four-time world champion said.
Piastri, known to let nothing frazzle him, has faced a similar situation in the past in Formula 3 and seemed characteristically calm.
“I’ve been in fights that were as close or, at this point, even closer than what they are now. So I’ve got the evidence for myself that things can still turn out well and I still fully believe that I can win the championship,” he said after finishing fifth in Austin with his championship rivals Verstappen in first and Norris in second.
Piastri’s teammate hasn’t given up hope either. Asked how he was approaching the championship, he said, “It’s quite simple: just try and beat both drivers and life’s easy then! Doesn’t really matter. I can only score the most points I can every weekend. So the more points I score, the better it is for both situations. It doesn’t matter. Nothing changes. I don’t have to do anything different for either-or.”
Qualifying for the Mexico Grand Prix is in a few hours and the race is at 1.30 am on Monday (India time). Making the race even more interesting is the fact that Verstappen holds the record for the most victories in Mexico and Piastri has not done well there, finishing eighth in both his outings.
So, with five Grand Prix and two sprints remaining and a three-horse race, it’s all to play for.
Topics mentioned in this article
