Why Oscar Piastri is clear favourite for the F1 2025 title explained by Steiner

While the F1 2025 constructors’ title is almost guaranteed for McLaren, the drivers’ championship looks set to go down to the wire between papaya teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Piastri leads the championship by a mere nine points as we head back into racing after summer shutdown, and it’s Piastri behind whom former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner is throwing his support.

Guenther Steiner explains Oscar Piastri title support

Oscar Piastri is leading Lando Norris in the F1 2025 World Drivers’ Championship standings by just nine points as we enter the final 10 races of the season, and yet another high-profile member of the F1 community has put their hopes on the Australian.

In a recent interview with Web.de Magazine, former Haas F1 team principal turned pundit Guenther Steiner was asked which McLaren driver he’d be supporting in the closing 10 rounds of the championship, and he didn’t hesitate with his answer.

“For me, it’s clearly Oscar Piastri,” Steiner revealed.

“He’s more consistent, calmer, and makes fewer mistakes.

“Lando is also strong, no question, but he keeps making little mistakes.”

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But beyond just making fewer mistakes than Norris, Piastri has another critical asset in his corner: His management.

Steiner continued, “Piastri has someone at his side in advisor Mark Webber, who himself raced at the top level. He knows the business, was a teammate of Sebastian Vettel. He knows how to deal with pressure, and Piastri listens to him.

“Piastri is very mature mentally. And that makes him the favourite in this McLaren duel for me.”

Steiner isn’t the only person to have thrown his support in Piastri’s corner. Nico Rosberg claimed that Piastri has a “scary” advantage over Norris, while Jolyon Palmer pinpointed the ways that Piastri has transformed his weaknesses into strengths in order to set him up as a clear title favorite.

Martin Brundle has noted that Piastri has a “great asset” in his cool head, whereas Norris is still weak in the consistency department.

Norris himself seems to be keenly aware of his weaknesses, perhaps to his own detriment. Though he has publicly stated that he doesn’t feel his sensitivity or public expression of his feelings have harmed his title chances, he also admitted that “maybe sometimes I lack a bit of self-belief” and “maybe sometimes I’m too hard after myself.”

Piastri, meanwhile, has had moments of frustration but seems to be able to bounce back from those setbacks with greater ease than his teammate.

No one can deny that both drivers are exceptional, but in a title fight, every detail matters.

Despite those differences in attitude, the two have remained remarkably composed, both on and off the track. McLaren has asked its drivers to race one another with respect, and that request alone has been enough to keep both drivers performing well.

However, Steiner also told Web.de that he feels a clash between the teammates “could happen at any time.”

“There have already been several near misses,” he explained.

“Luck has often played a part. And Lando simply makes too many small mistakes.

“In Canada, he tried to squeeze through a gap that wasn’t there. It was pure luck that Oscar didn’t get a flat tyre.

“That’s why I say it’s almost inevitable that the two will clash at some point.”

With only 10 races remaining in the championship, any collision between the two drivers could have major title implications.

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