F1 news: Oscar Piastri vs Lando Norris and McLaren’s biggest title threats
McLaren appear to be fierce contenders for the Constructors’ Championship this season, currently leading Mercedes and Red Bull Racing in the standings.
Having won the Constructors’ Championship last year, McLaren are seeking to go back-to-back.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Madison Stoneman looks at the British racing team’s chances of taking home the title come December.
What we’ve seen from McLaren so far
Last season, McLaren won the Constructors’ Championship for the first time in 26 years.
Six races into the new season and with the Italian Grand Prix just around the corner, they are seemingly keen to come out on top again this year.
Every podium so far has featured at least one winning McLaren driver, except for the Japanese GP which saw Max Verstappen on top.
These stats are by all accounts not what McLaren fans are used to, having waited years for the team to produce a competitive car deserving of a championship.
Oscar Piastri has been the star so far – already a triple race winner despite it still being early days.
Indeed, his form has led to conspiracies that McLaren will change their tactics moving forward and make Piastri their ‘number one driver’ at the expense of Lando Norris.
READ MORE: F1 news: Five things Red Bull Racing have learned so far this season
Piastri v Norris battle
Although both drivers are elite, they have different strengths and weaknesses, which allows them to complement each other and create a strong team dynamic.
Piastri, remember, has not only started the season strong – gaining a total of 131 points – but also his overall career, having only made his debut in 2023.
Since then, he has consistently racked up points and now boasts a total of six wins.
This rivals Norris, who joined the sport in 2019 but only got his first win last year.
Norris is a powerful driver, approaching races as marathons rather than sprints and being more tactical with his overtakes.
In contrast, Piastri is more aggressive and focuses mainly on what position he is in.
This does admittedly make one wonder if Piastri has what it takes to be McLaren’s main driver as he may be too impulsive and cause issues in the long term.
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McLaren’s biggest title threats
Considering how early it is in the season, it is hard to decide who or what will be McLaren's biggest threat when it comes to the title.
Ahead of the Italian GP, Mercedes are in a great position, with 141 points enough to see them second in the standings.
Trading a seven-time world champion for an 18-year-old may have been one of the crazier decisions Toto Wolff has made, but it has worked out in his favour thus far.
George Russell has become a regular on the podium and Kimi Antonelli is not too far behind, landing points in every race bar one.
This has resulted in a strong team, one that is synced and grabbing lots of points.
Red Bull, meanwhile, are everyone’s most obvious answer for the Constructors’ Championship, although the team have faced a few hiccups already this season.
They began with Liam Lawson as their second driver, but he was replaced after only two races.
Yuki Tsunoda was then upgraded to the seat from their second team, Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, but Red Bull continue to struggle and sit third on 105 points.
If McLaren continue at their current pace, they can definitely expect another championship this season, but it is too soon to say for certain.
Regardless, the Grand Prix at Emilia Romagna is sure to be a fascinating watch.
The race will be shown on Sky Sports F1 at 2pm GMT on Sunday, May 18.
