Oscar Piastri Admits The F1 Title Competition Now Only Involves Himself And Norris

JAKARTA Oscar Piastri finally admits that the 2025 Formula 1 world title race now appears to be an internal duel between himself and his McLaren team-mate, Lando Norris. Ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, which was the final race before the summer break, Piastri led the standings with a 16-point lead over Norris.

The Australian racer is now far ahead of Max Verstappen (Red Bull) who is in third place in the standings. The four-time world champion is trailed by 81 points, the difference that is considered very difficult to catch up with considering the current dominance of McLaren.

"I think so," Piastri said when asked by reporters if now the title race only involved two riders.

Previously, both Piastri, Norris, and McLaren had refrained from mentioning that they had dominated this season. However, consistent results make it difficult to refute that fact.

Every weekend, it's always been a fight between me and Lando. I still hope the competition will continue to be strong, especially on certain tracks throughout the rest of the season," Piastri continued.

"Whether the pressure will come from Max, Ferrari, Mercedes, or other teams, we don't know yet. But I'm not too worried about that. My focus is just trying to win every race and widening the lead," Piastri said.

McLaren has come very impressive this season, with six finishing 1-2 out of 13 races. Piastri has won six wins, while Norris has four. The rest, two races won by Verstappen.

In total, McLaren has collected 516 points and is 268 points clear of Ferrari in second place in the constructors' standings.

Hungaroring himself is a circuit that gives Piastri sweet memories, because this is where he won his first Formula 1 victory last season. At that time, Norris also performed brilliantly by winning the pole position.

"Hungaria has historically been a great track for us as a team, especially during my two years with McLaren. I am optimistic we will be strong again this weekend," Piastri said.

The 24-year-old also expressed his belief that he was able to maintain form until the end of the season to win his first world title.

"Not every weekend is perfect, but throughout my life, I also rarely have a really perfect weekend," he said with a smile.

"The important thing is to have a solid and consistent season. My pace in the last few races, especially at the Spa, makes me very confident and proud," he said.

"I'm more than able to continue this performance until the end of the season. I'm sure I can do it, but of course, it won't be easy," Piastri said.