RACING LINES
Damien Smith
T hree wins from the opening five races have catapulted Oscar Piastri to thetop of the Formula 1 standings. Now the onus is on his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris to respond as the circus returns to Miami, scene of his 2024 breakthrough. That emphatic victory in the wet Australian opener suddenly seems an awful long time ago.
At just 24 and in only his third F1 season, Piastri’s emergence as a clear and obvious title contender is the standout aspect of 2025 so far (at least on track). It’s tempting to draw out his nationalistic character traits: he has the cold, even temperament of an Aussie opener in an Ashes Test match. He doesn’t get too overwrought when races go wrong and holds his excitement in check when he wins. That equilibrium will stand him in good stead as the stakes rise in the months to come.