The second half of the 2025 Method 1 season is upon us.
After a two-week layoff, the grid returns to motion with the Belgian Grand Prix, certainly one of two races earlier than the August summer season shutdown. However with 12 race weekends left, the Drivers’ Championship stays a combat between McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Piastri maintains an eight-point lead over Norris, however the British driver has gained consecutive Grands Prix for the primary time in his profession and heads to Spa in tremendous type.
How would possibly this battle between McLaren drivers unfold over the ultimate half of the season?
The official F1 web site spoke with 5 dwelling legends — 2009 Champion Jenson Button, 1997 Drivers’ Champion Jacques Villeneuve, 13-time Grand Prix winner and F1TV analyst David Coulthard, three-time Grand Prix winner Johnny Herbert, and 12-time podium finisher Stefan Johansson — concerning the main storylines from the season, together with the Norris-Piastri title combat.
Every dwelling legend sees this bout taking place to the ultimate bell.
“If it was half a World Championship, Oscar’s gained,” started Coulthard. “I don’t suppose anybody may say he hasn’t deserved to be main – he was main earlier than [the McLarens] got here collectively in Canada. But when Lando turns it round within the second half of the season, he’s doing it towards somebody that’s a proficient third yr F1 driver. It’s a bit like 2021, the place some individuals are nonetheless so vocal about what occurred… just one driver may win. Each Max and Lewis Hamilton drove like World Champions that yr, however solely certainly one of them may have the title.”
The previous Pink Bull and McLaren driver praised his former group for the way they’re dealing with the combat.
“I believe McLaren have dealt with it rather well. I believe each their drivers are on the tamer aspect of animal than the wilder aspect of animal, in order that in all probability makes it slightly bit simpler,” added Coulthard. “However this may be their solely probability to win a world title; we don’t know what 2026 brings, we don’t know what the long run is, so that you’ve received to grab the second. That’s why I’m actually impressed with how Oscar has stepped up this yr. However Lando’s response over the past two races is exhibiting his high quality as effectively. I believe it’s going to be a kind of issues the place each of them deserve it, however just one can get it.”
Johansson famous that who wins the title would possibly come right down to the “circumstances.”
“I believe it’s going to go right down to the wire. In the long run, it can in all probability be circumstances that tip the end result of the championship. As a result of speed-wise they’re so shut, it’s in all probability going to return right down to race craft, studying conditions the fitting means, and avoiding any form of unforced errors, in case you like,” stated Johansson. “Oscar had his penalty at Silverstone, which you’ll be able to debate whether or not it was justified or not, however I believe issues like that, or Lando’s incident in Montreal… these are the issues which are going to tip the size on the finish of the yr.”
Two of the previous drivers, Button and Herbert, praised Piastri’s psychological method. This mirrors what McLaren CEO Zak Brown informed me about Piastri throughout his rookie season, and the way the Australian driver slowly builds up over a race weekend and virtually all the time retains his composure.
“Austria was a very necessary weekend for Lando. I believe if it went on any longer with out Lando successful, mentally it’s very powerful for a driver. Particularly somebody like Lando, who I believe may be his personal worst enemy at occasions – he places a whole lot of strain on himself. He’s unbelievably fast, but when he makes a tiny mistake, he actually takes it to coronary heart,” stated Button.
“He’s received to grasp that all of us make errors. It occurs, it’s a part of racing, and most of the time you lose quite than win. I like his character, and I actually suppose he’s super-quick. Oscar’s a really totally different character, very level-headed. Nothing appears to faze him, and that makes him a really, very troublesome competitor … “
“Oscar’s come into F1 in a really, very mature means,” started Herbert. “He’s received himself in an excellent group on the proper time and he’s delivering. However then I throw it on the opposite aspect, and Lando is enhancing … he’s in all probability a later developer in some methods, however he has modified over the past couple of years. I believe the incident in Canada, the positives of Austria and Silverstone … I all the time say it’s about capability, and I believe his mind capability generally will get full up. There’s the luggage that comes with every part that’s happening, and I do know from my very own profession, there are occasions the place you’ve received to do away with baggage that’s hanging round your neck.
“It’s going to be right down to the mentality of each of them. However they’re each youngish they usually’re solely going to get higher as time goes by, like Max has executed, like Lewis did, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher… they’ve that fantastic capacity to discover a means of transferring up each time the efficiency of the automobile will get higher,” continued Herbert, who gained in Silverstone in 1995. “With all of the little ups and downs they’ve had, they’re nonetheless very, very shut total. It’ll solely be one over the opposite come the top of the yr.”
Like the opposite legends, Villeneuve didn’t predict the winner — Button maybe got here closest with how he ended his ideas — however the winner of the 1997 Drivers’ Championship did define how Silverstone could have reshaped the race.
“It’s nice as a result of they’re very totally different. Each can win it, and we don’t know which one will get the higher hand. I believe Norris nonetheless has the sting speed-wise, however he’s so good at berating himself that it’s additionally self-damaging sooner or later,” started Villeneuve.
“With Piastri, it was the primary time he received a penalty at Silverstone, and that noticed a little bit of a change of perspective. Whenever you’re preventing for the championship, it actually modifications your method. We’ve seen Norris being within the lead of the championship, being behind, preventing again, so we’ve seen sort of every part that Norris is. We haven’t seen every part that Piastri is and the way he reacts in sure conditions. Will that make him higher or worse? That’s what I’m ready to see.”
You may learn their full ideas on the remainder of the season, together with Lewis Hamilton’s begin at Ferrari and the way forward for Max Verstappen at Pink Bull, on the official F1 web site.
