When Lando Norris had to retire his McLaren during the Dutch Grand Prix, many assumed his championship hopes were dashed. However, over the next five races, he steadily closed the gap on Oscar Piastri, becoming the driver everyone is now aiming to surpass.
Initially trailing by 34 points, how did Norris manage to reclaim the lead for the first time since April?
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Italian Grand Prix: Team Orders Controversy
At Monza, Norris was running comfortably in second place ahead of Piastri until a slow pit stop allowed the Australian to overtake. The team instructed Piastri to return the position, which he did, enabling Norris to finish behind Verstappen’s victorious Red Bull. This reduced the championship gap by three points to 31.
Azerbaijan: A Weekend to Forget for Piastri
In Baku, Norris’s race was uneventful as he maintained his starting position of seventh, hindered by a poorly timed safety car and a slow pit stop. Despite this, Piastri’s weekend was far worse. He crashed in Q3 and again on the first lap of the race after a false start, narrowing the gap to 25 points.
Singapore: First Lap Collision
Piastri out-qualified Norris for the first time since Zandvoort, starting third in Singapore while Norris was fifth. However, contact between Norris and Piastri at the third turn, following an initial touch with Verstappen’s Red Bull, left Piastri frustrated and wanting his position back. Norris, however, reduced the lead by another three points.
USA: Self-Inflicted Setbacks
Piastri’s attempt to overtake on the first lap in the USA resulted in a collision with Norris, eliminating both from the sprint. This misstep, combined with a lack of track time to make necessary adjustments, left Piastri finishing fifth in the main race. Norris, on the other hand, secured a podium finish, cutting the gap by eight more points to 14.
Mexico: Another Challenging Race
In Mexico, Piastri struggled to match Norris’s pace on the evolving track surface of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Norris excelled, winning by a significant margin, while Piastri finished fifth after starting eighth. This 15-point swing allowed Norris to reclaim the championship lead.
