The Formula One caravan has had a busy season, completing five races in the space of six weeks. With nearly one-fifth of the 24-race calendar done, the championship battle is heating up nicely as just 12 points separate the top three drivers in the standings.
The Hindu examines some of the key trends that have emerged so far.
Oscar lays down the marker
Despite winning two races in his sophomore campaign last year, doubts remained about how good Oscar Piastri was.
Saudi GP winner Oscar Piastri celebrates on the podium.
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Getty Images
The Aussie showed improvement last year, working on his weakness in tyre management, but he was still well short of teammate Lando Norris’ level. The qualifying performance, in particular, was a concern. However, his consistent results in the race ensured McLaren clinched the constructors’ title.
Coming into the season, many wondered how good the Australian was and if he could take another giant step, or if the improvement curve would show signs of flattening. Five races in, few would have expected Piastri to be leading the championship and winning a majority of the races (three).
The 24-year-old has clearly taken a step forward in qualifying, clinching pole position in two events and finishing within a tenth of a second of the pole-sitter in the other three. Besides Suzuka, where he was third on the grid, Piastri has been on the front row in the other four rounds.
While he cruised to victory in China and Bahrain from pole, his most recent win in Saudi Arabia showed that he is well-prepared for a long and gruelling title campaign.
Although he underperformed in qualifying, losing pole to Max Verstappen, Piastri was aggressive on the opening lap and could have taken the lead had the former not committed a tactical foul by running wide into turn one, which allowed him to stay ahead. Once the stewards handed Verstappen a five-second penalty, Piastri inherited the lead after the pit stops and kept the reigning champion at arm’s length for the rest of the race.
By being decisive in his battle against Verstappen, who is known for his aggressive wheel-to-wheel racing, Piastri has laid down a marker and shown that he won’t be bullied by the four-time champion.
Piastri now has a 10-point lead over teammate Norris and 12 over Verstappen and has the wind in his sails.
Since his costly mistake in the opening race on home soil in Melbourne when he spun out in wet conditions from second to ninth, Piastri has come back strongly, displaying great mental fortitude. Overturning a 23-point deficit to Norris in the next four rounds is a testament to his steely resolve.
At the same time, the Aussie will also know he underachieved in Japan and Jeddah. By qualifying third in Suzuka after fluffing his final lap of qualifying, he had to settle for the final step of the podium on a weekend when he was probably the quickest driver.
Despite his lead, in a long season, these errors could add up, and Piastri will be well aware of the areas of improvement. And if the first two years are anything to go by, the Aussie has demonstrated time and again that he is a quick learner.
Norris’ struggles
While Piastri leads the standings, his teammate Norris has had a far tougher start to the year, which has once again raised questions about his abilities and if he has what it takes to become a champion.
Though the British driver has won a race and is just 10 points behind, he has not been comfortable with the traits of the McLaren. Norris, who gave a good fight to Verstappen last year, was expected to lead his team’s charge. Especially considering McLaren has the fastest machinery, many believed this would be the 25-year-old’s best chance to win a title.
And when he produced a dominant display in Melbourne, winning from pole in a wet race where conditions were treacherous at times, it reiterated his credentials as the favourite for the title.
However, since then, Norris has had some sub-par weekends where he has struggled to match his teammate. He had a tough outing in China, and not nailing his lap in qualifying in Japan meant he had to settle for second behind Verstappen. Bahrain was his worst weekend, as he qualified sixth and made a mess at the start, which earned him a penalty before he recovered to finish third. There are also concerns about his ability to handle pressure when the stakes get high. In Jeddah, Norris made the most costly error of the season, crashing out in qualifying on a weekend when he was comfortably quicker than Piastri.
McLaren driver Lando Norris’ car is carried out of the track after crashing during the qualifying session ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
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AP
It meant he had to start from 10th and managed to finish only fourth. His struggles in passing Lewis Hamilton also probably cost him a podium.
In contrast, Piastri dispatched the Ferrari driver easily with a bold move when the latter least expected it, and it proved decisive in securing the race win. In a tight battle, these small things can have a significant impact.
Norris needs to use this two-week break to do some soul searching and also find a way to get to grips with his McLaren. When the caravan reassembles in Miami, Norris will hope to reignite his season at the track where he scored his maiden Grand Prix win last year.
Max Magic
In every sport, there are periods in which an athlete seems invincible. In modern F1, Verstappen is currently operating in a zone where he is extracting every ounce of himself and the car to stay in the title battle, despite his Red Bull not currently matching McLaren’s outright pace.
The Dutchman has already produced sensational qualifying laps to take pole position twice and won a race in Suzuka with his sheer genius work on Saturday. Even as Red Bull trails McLaren by a whopping 99 points, Verstappen is only 12 points behind Piastri in the drivers’ standings as he pursues a fifth-straight drivers’ title.
Max Verstappen on track during the Japanese GP.
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Getty Images
The Red Bull is a capricious car in the way it handles, and yet the 27-year-old is somehow not only taming it but also managing to extract results that most others can’t imagine, scoring 87 of the team’s 89 points.
The big unknown right now is how long Verstappen can continue this and whether it is sustainable. Tracks like Suzuka and Jeddah flattered Red Bull’s performance, considering the layout and temperatures helped them mask some of their weaknesses.
If the energy-drink giant fails to develop a car that allows Verstappen to defend his title, there is also a possibility that he could leave the team despite having a contract until 2028. If it happens, it could be a massive blow for the team, considering no other driver can do what Verstappen is managing.
Trouble in Maranello
Last year, Ferrari pulled off a coup when it snapped up Hamilton from Mercedes and then almost won the constructors’ title, falling short by just 14 points. The Italian marque had a great end to the season in 2024, consistently fighting at the sharp end of the grid. The expectation was that the Scuderia could build on this and start strongly in its bid to fight for the title, ending a 17-year drought.
However, it has not been smooth sailing for the Prancing Horse as the team is stuck in a no-man’s land. It is the fourth-fastest car on the grid, unable to fight for a top-three position and well clear of the midfield pack.
The Rosso corsa-coloured cars have a lot of catching up to do. The way it has lost performance compared to the other top teams has been puzzling and raises questions about the team’s capabilities in building a car that can fight for titles.
Charles Leclerc, at least, gave something for the tifosi to cheer for when he clinched the team’s first podium in Jeddah. It was a superbly executed drive, running long on the first set of tyres and then managing to keep the faster Norris at bay towards the closing stages.
While Leclerc has still managed to get some good results, Hamilton has had a rough start to the season. When the seven-time champion won the sprint race in China in only his second appearance, there was much excitement and the promise of more good times, but it seems to have been just a flash in the pan. Since then, it has been a hiding to nothing for the most decorated driver in history as he has struggled massively compared to his teammate.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP.
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REUTERS
Hamilton’s aura has been somewhat diminished since 2022, when the new regulations took effect. He was shaded by teammate George Russell in Mercedes last year. The feeling was that the Mercedes did not suit his style, and a change of scenery could rejuvenate the 40-year-old.
Unfortunately, Hamilton cut a forlorn picture in Saudi and indicated that he doesn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. “At the moment, there’s no fix. So this is how it’s going to be for the rest of the year. It’s going to be painful,” Hamilton was quoted as saying after finishing seventh and nearly half a minute behind Leclerc.
Considering he is at the back-end of his career, it remains to be seen if Hamilton can adapt to the demands of the car and still operate at his best. It would be a great disservice to his career if he walked away from the sport after a disappointing spell at Ferrari.
Published – April 24, 2025 12:01 am IST
