How Lando Norris won the F1 Driver’s Championship – Race-by-race analysis of 2025 season

Lando Norris won his first Formula One championship at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit on Sunday.

The following charts the key moments of the title battle between the Briton, McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

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AUSTRALIA, March 16

Norris won from pole position in Melbourne to lead the world championship and end Verstappen’s time at the top — a run dating back to the May 2022 Spanish GP. Piastri finished ninth in a wet home race after skidding off. Verstappen was second.

Points: Norris 25, Verstappen 18, Piastri 2

CHINA, March 23

Piastri took the first non-sprint pole of his F1 career and went on to win while Norris finished second after suffering a late brake problem. Verstappen was fourth.

Points: Norris 44, Verstappen 36, Piastri 34

JAPAN, April 6

Verstappen won from pole at Suzuka, his fourth successive Japanese GP victory, with Norris second and Piastri third on his 24th birthday.

Points: Norris 62, Verstappen 61, Piastri 49

BAHRAIN, April 13

Piastri celebrated his 50th race with a win from pole to go second overall. Norris was third with Verstappen sixth after being slowed by a faulty pit signal.

Points: Norris 77, Piastri 74, Verstappen 69

SAUDI ARABIA, April 20

Norris crashed in qualifying and started 10th in Jeddah, with Verstappen on pole and Piastri alongside. Piastri then won to take the lead from Norris, who fought back to fourth with Verstappen second.

Points: Piastri 99, Norris 89, Verstappen 87

MIAMI, May 4

Piastri took his third win in a row, from fourth on the grid, in a McLaren one-two. Verstappen was fourth after starting on pole. Norris won the sprint ahead of Piastri. The Briton challenged Verstappen for the lead at the start but went off and lost three places.

Points: Piastri 131, Norris 115, Verstappen 99

IMOLA, May 18

Verstappen celebrated Red Bull’s 400th grand prix with a dominant win. Piastri started on pole but finished third, passed by Norris on fresher tyres seven laps from the end.

Points: Piastri 146, Norris 133, Verstappen 124

MONACO, May 25

Lando Norris celebrated a dream Monaco Grand Prix win from pole position and slashed Piastri’s World Championship lead to three points in a race without overtaking and more strategy than speed.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished runner-up in the home race he won last year, with Piastri third and Verstappen fourth — all four finishing in the order they started.

Points: Piastri 161, Norris 158, Verstappen 136

BARCELONA, June 1

Oscar Piastri won from pole in a McLaren one-two at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. Max Verstappen was classified 10th after a 10-second post-race penalty dropped him five places from his finishing position. The Dutchman collided with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and twice with Mercedes’ George Russell during the race.

Points: Piastri 186, Norris 176, Verstappen 137

MONTREAL, June 15

Norris hit the rear of Piastri’s car three laps from the end and retired, with the Australian fourth. Verstappen was second behind winner Russell.

Points: Piastri 198, Norris 176, Verstappen 155

AUSTRIA, June 29

Norris won from pole after fending off Piastri under race-long pressure, with the Australian locking up at turn four on lap 20 while seeking to sneak past. Verstappen started seventh and suffered his first retirement of the season, ending a scoring run of 31 races, after a first-lap collision with Mercedes’s Kimi Antonelli.

Points: Piastri 216, Norris 201, Verstappen 155

BRITAIN, July 6

Norris won a wet race with Piastri second after being handed a 10-second penalty for braking sharply behind the safety car while leading. Verstappen started on pole but spun at the safety car re-start and finished fifth after fighting back from 11th.

Points: Piastri 234, Norris 226, Verstappen 165

BELGIUM, July 27

Piastri passed Norris, on pole, early on with a bold move in a red-flagged and delayed wet race. It was McLaren’s third one-two in a row. Verstappen won the sprint and was then fourth in what was the first race after Red Bull dismissed Christian Horner as boss and replaced him with Laurent Mekies.

Points: Piastri 266, Norris 250, Verstappen 185

HUNGARY, August 3

Norris started third but won on a one-stop strategy, holding off two-stopping Piastri after a nail-biting chase to the chequered flag and a near-collision on the penultimate lap. Verstappen was ninth.

Points: Piastri 284, Norris 275, Verstappen 187

NETHERLANDS, August 31

Piastri took his seventh win of the campaign as Norris suffered a smoky retirement from second place on lap 65 of 72. Verstappen finished second. This race marked the peak of Piastri’s lead.

Points: Piastri 309, Norris 275, Verstappen 205

ITALY, September 7

A key moment in the championship. Verstappen won the fastest Formula One race in history while Piastri finished third after handing back second to Norris following the Briton’s slow pitstop. Norris pitted after Piastri for strategic reasons, despite being ahead on track, on the assurance he would come out ahead.

Points: Piastri 324, Norris 293, Verstappen 230

AZERBAIJAN, September 21

Piastri crashed on the opening lap while Verstappen cruised to a dominant win. Norris started and finished seventh but a slow second pitstop made it a missed opportunity to slash the points gap.

Points: Piastri 324, Norris 299, Verstappen 255

SINGAPORE, October 5

McLaren sealed the constructors’ title for the second year in a row. Norris was second with Verstappen third and Piastri fourth. Norris forced his way past Piastri at the first corner, with the Australian accusing his teammate of ‘barging him out of the way’.

Points: Piastri 336, Norris 314, Verstappen 273

USA, October 19

Both McLarens retired from the sprint after colliding. Verstappen, who won the sprint, led every lap of the main race from pole position, with Norris second and Piastri fifth.

Points: Piastri 346, Norris 332, Verstappen 306

MEXICO, October 26

Norris took back the overall lead for the first time since Bahrain after winning from pole while Piastri finished fifth. Verstappen was third.

Points: Norris 357, Piastri 356, Verstappen 321

BRAZIL, November 9

Norris won while Piastri, starting fourth, was controversially given a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Antonelli and finished fifth. Verstappen went from a pitlane start to third.

Points: Norris 390, Piastri 366, Verstappen 341

LAS VEGAS, November 22

Norris and Piastri finished second and fourth but were disqualified for excessive skid plank wear. Verstappen won to blow the championship open again.

Points: Norris 390, Piastri 366, Verstappen 366

QATAR, November 30

McLaren swept the front row, with Piastri on pole. A McLaren strategy error then denied him the win, the Australian finishing second behind Verstappen with Norris grabbing fourth on the penultimate lap.

Norris 408, Verstappen 396, Piastri 392

ABU DHABI, December 7

Verstappen won from pole, with Piastri second and Norris third.

Points: Norris 423, Verstappen 421, Piastri 410.

Published on Dec 07, 2025