Oscar Piastri’s win within the Bahrain Grand Prix made him the primary repeat winner of the 2025 System 1 season.
It additionally pulled him into second place within the F1 Drivers’ Championship standings, simply three factors off the chief.
His teammate, Lando Norris.
The McLaren duo have been spectacular this season, with Norris taking the win on the Australian Grand Prix to open the season, and Piastri taking victories at each the Chinese language Grand Prix and now the Bahrain Grand Prix. Whereas Norris has a podium end in each grand prix this season, bringing his complete to 77 factors on the younger marketing campaign, Piastri’s pair of wins have him on 74 factors.
However to listen to the 2 drivers inform it, that is precisely the place they anticipated to be going into the season.
“I imply, I assumed it began from Melbourne, to be trustworthy,” stated Piastri within the FIA Press Convention after the Bahrain Grand Prix, when requested if Sunday marked the “begin of the actual battle” between him and Norris. “However yeah, it’s nonetheless so early. I believe in the mean time we’ve received an incredible automotive beneath us. I really feel like for essentially the most half we’ve been in a position to do a great job with it. I imply, I believe we’re within the positions we ought to be in.”
“Oscar’s put it very effectively, actually. I believe we knew coming into this season – us as a workforce knew it earlier than the season – that we had been going to have some shut moments between us and a few good fights,” added Norris.
Each drivers sounded excited for the battle to return, whereas additionally noting that there shall be different challengers from throughout the grid.
“I believe it’s going to be a decent battle. I believe there are going to be different contenders. What we’ve seen in the mean time is … We’ve not had a constant challenger week in, week out. It’s type of been anyone totally different, which from the championship viewpoint makes life tough for others,” added Piastri. “However yeah, I believe it’s going to be a decent yr, positively. And I believe so long as we’ve got the most effective automotive, it’s going to be tight between Lando and I.”
“And I’m positive we’re going to have extra later this yr, which I believe we’re each excited for,” stated Norris. “So we’ve got to maintain working arduous as a workforce to maintain ourselves forward of the remainder. As a result of I’m positive we each favor if it’s simply me and him – between us and nobody else. As a workforce, we’d favor that. It’d most likely make our lives simpler as a complete. So we’re not forgetting that the competitors is shut.
“Sure, we’ve received the most effective automotive on the grid and issues like this, however one mistake – and I paid the worth yesterday. One tenth and I’d’ve been second on the grid right this moment, so it’s irritating,” continued Norris. “However it’s shut and it’s aggressive, and I believe that’s an incredible factor for the game. However we’ve got to maintain working arduous as a workforce. I don’t suppose we’ve ever let that thought go – with how shut a few of the earlier qualifying classes have been. With Max [Verstappen] on pole, with George [Russell] solely a tenth and a half off yesterday. It’s simple to not do an ideal lap after which not be on pole nonetheless. It’s not like we will simply cruise round and every part’s groovy. So, we’ve got to maintain working arduous, and I believe we’re excited for the competitors between us.”
The closest title battle between teammates in F1 historical past got here again in 1984 when Niki Lauda held off teammate Alain Prost for his third and ultimate Drivers’ Championship by only a half-point, 72 to 71.5 factors. (The Monaco Grand Prix, run in moist circumstances, solely lasted for 31 laps, and half factors had been handed out in consequence).
What workforce did these two drive for?
McLaren.
May historical past repeat itself this yr?
We have no idea the reply to that query but, however McLaren’s two drivers actually imagine it’s potential.