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.

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.
| Photo Credit:
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.
| Photo Credit:
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.
| Photo Credit:
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.

Rohit Sharma’s rollicking half-century powered Mumbai Indians to a comprehensive victory against SRH in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI

A year ago, Sunrisers Hyderabad registered what was then the highest ever total in the IPL
 (277 for three) against Mumbai Indians at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here. Little over a year later in a rematch at the same venue, the visitor came out on top, chasing the modest 144-run target with seven wickets and 26 balls to spare.

Trent Boult rocked the SRH batting line-up with an early burst.
| Photo Credit:
K.V.S. GIRI

Put in to bat first, Travis Head was dismissed for a four-ball duck. His fellow lefties in the top-order, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, fell soon after and Sunrisers ended the PowerPlay with the lowest score (24 for four) by any team this season.

Heinrich Klaasen then went about saving Sunrisers’ blushes, beginning by dispatching Vignesh Puthur into the second tier beyond deep mid-wicket. He painstakingly got the score past the 50-run mark and took the attack to Hardik Pandya, smacking three boundaries and giving the home fans a reason to cheer.

Klaasen stitched a 99-run stand with Abhinav Manohar, bringing up his first half century of the season along the way. By the time the pair fell, SRH had tottered to a moderate total.

MI took an early blow in its chase when Ricketon got a leading edge and Jaydev Unadkat, with momentum taking him in the opposite direction, stuck his left hand and took an excellent catch.

Rohit Sharma, however, ensured the visitor remained in control. His early maximum over deep extra cover off Unadkat underlined his comfort in what was once his home venue in the IPL.

Rohit continued where he left off against Chennai Super Kings, registering his second half century in as many matches, the first time he has done so since 2016. With Net Run Rate (NRR) seemingly on his mind, he switched gears, highlighted by three fours off Harshal Patel in the 14th over.

When he finally fell after chipping a yorker from Eshan Malinga to Abhishek Sharma at midwicket, the win was all but sealed, with Suryakumar Yadav tying it up neatly with a boundary over deep square leg.

MI’s triumph takes it to third on the table while Sunrisers languish at the other end in ninth, just above rock bottom Super Kings by virtue of NRR.

NEW DELHI: Drama galore unfolded during the IPL 2025 clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad — and it all happened in a single delivery. The moment came in the third over of the match, when Ishan Kishan appeared to get a faint tickle down the leg side off Deepak Chahar’s delivery.
The on-field umpire initially signaled it as a wide.
However, Kishan didn’t wait for the official decision. Acknowledging what he believed to be an edge, he walked off on his own — a gesture that took everyone by surprise.
Adding another twist, when Mumbai Indians players made a polite appeal for a catch, the umpire went on to raise his finger and officially gave Kishan out.
But the drama didn’t end there.
Replays showed no spike on the Snicko meter, casting doubt on whether there was any contact between bat and ball at all.
Regardless, Kishan was dismissed for just 1 run, and Sunrisers Hyderabad suffered an early blow — in the most theatrical fashion possible.

Earlier, Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Mumbai Indians have brought in Vignesh Puthur in place of Ashwani Kumar, while home team skipper Pat Cummins too made one change to his playing XI by bringing in Jaydev Unadkat in place of Mohammed Shami, who is among their impact substitutes.
Players of both the teams will wear black armbands to pay respect to the victims of the terror attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday.

“I would like to firstly pass my condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack. We as a team and a franchise condemn any such attacks,” said Pandya.
“It has been heartbreaking for us as well, our thoughts are with the victims and their families,” said SRH skipper Cummins.
Teams:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins (c), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga.
Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Vignesh Puthur.