The Top Five defining moments of the F1 title fight

Ahead of the penultimate race weekend of the Formula One season, Spark have analysed the key events which have led to this epic three-way title fight between Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.

As Formula One heads to the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar, the top three drivers are separated by just 24 points. Norris leads with a total of 390 points, whereas Verstappen and Piastri are tied on 366 points. 

 

1. The curtain raiser down under: The season started with optimism in the Mclaren garage as they had high hopes of dethroning Max Verstappen as the F1 World Champion, the Dutchman had won four on the bounce and it was clear that Mclaren would have to build a rocket ship to beat him.

The scene was set from early as the top three drivers topped the timesheet in qualifying – Norris clinched pole ahead of home favourite Piastri, followed by Max.

Race day arrived in a wet Melbourne which was guaranteed to bring chaos, the familiar three jostled for positions for the majority of the race. This was until disaster struck for the Australian on lap 44 as Piastri’s hard tyres struggled to cope with the conditions and he went sliding off the track, falling drastically down the order.

lando drove home to finish first, Max came second and Piastri finished in ninth.

Standings:

Lando Norris – 25 points

Max Verstappen – 18 points

Oscar Piastri – 2 points

2. Piastri takes charge in Miami: The Mclaren driver left Miami having won three consecutive races, the previous two victories coming in the Middle East – Bahrain and Saudi Arabia respectively. Lando Norris was without a win since the opener in Australia.

Early signs in qualifying showed that Piastri’s early season dominance could be coming to an end – Verstappen clinched pole position, Norris just fell short in second and Piastri qualified fourth.

Race day arrived in a hot and humid Miami which makes for a physically demanding street circuit, as Verstappen braked into the first corner he locked up which opened the door for Norris who could not capitalise and fell down the order to sixth position, Oscar Piastri gained a place and was up into the podium positions.

Piastri overtook Verstappen on lap 14 and led comfortably throughout, Verstappen was then overtook by another Mclaren after a tense battle.

Piastri drove home to finish first, Norris finished second and George Russel achieved the final podium place.

Standings:

Piastri – 131 points

Norris – 115 points

Verstappen – 99 points

 

3. F1 is out for the summer: Formula One headed to the Hungaroring Circuit for the last race before the much anticipated summer break. This race presented itself with a major opportunity for Lando Norris to claw back some points on his teammate and Championship Rival – Oscar Piastri.

Qualifying brought a surprise pole sitter as Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari produced an excellent lap to finish ahead of the two Mclarens.

Race day arrived in Hungary with many expecting both Mclaren drivers to be too strong for Leclerc in the Ferrari – they were proven right. Norris produced an excellent pit stop strategy allowing him to lead the race.

Oscar Piastri was on the charge, this set up a captivating final few laps between the two teammates and rivals.

Lando held his nerve to finish first by a margin of 0.7 seconds – George Russel clinched third with a strong drive. Max Verstappen was down in eighth and his Championship hopes were looking incredibly unlikely.

Standings:

Piastri – 284 points

Norris – 275 points

Verstappen – 187 points

4. The Dutchman appears on the horizon: The United States Grand Prix proved crucial in the past for Verstappen’s previous iconic title battle against Lewis Hamilton, and in 2025 it was no different. Time was seriously running out for Max and he knew that he had to produce a statement performance sooner rather than later.

The Sprint Race proved pivotal for the Red Bull driver as he came home to finish first with both Mclaren drivers crashing out on the first corner – creating more friction between the papaya pair.

Race day arrived in Texas with Verstappen feeling unbeatable after the previous day of clinching a key double of sprint winner and pole position.

A dominant drive followed from the current champion who showed everyone he was still in the fight – he cruised to a first place finish in Austin, Norris clinched second with Piastri finishing fifth. It looked like the wheels had fallen off for the Australian who had looked so dominant early on in the season.

Standings:

Piastri – 346

Norris – 332

Verstappen – 306

5. Verstappen shows his cards on the Las Vegas streets: The F1 season was coming to an end as the drivers headed for the bright lights of Vegas with plenty of points to play for in the Championship race – Max had to take the maximum and hope that the Mclaren drivers would show inexperience and complacency.

Qualifying highlighted that Norris was up for the fight as he drove faultlessly to claim an important pole position. Verstappen was poised in second place and ready to strike, however Piastri was once again off par – he qualified in fifth.

Race night arrived in Nevada with the world watching.

Verstappen got the better of Norris to finish first – incredible news followed with both Mclaren drivers being disqualified after the chequered flag.

This is exactly the lifeline that Max and Red Bull so desperately needed ahead of an exciting two weeks.