MCLAREN’S DILEMMA: DID TEAM ORDERS TRIGGER PIASTRI’S LATE-SEASON SLUMP IN 2025?
Lando Norris is the 2025 F1 champion, but did Oscar Piastri’s 34-point lead evaporate due to a lack of rookie consistency?
In 2025, Oscar Piastri led the F1 drivers’ title race for 71% of the season but ended up third overall. His McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, snatched the championship win.
The McLaren pair dominated the 2025 season from beginning to end. Norris held the lead for 77 days, while Piastri led for 189 days. Norris grabbed the top spot from Red Bull's Max Verstappen after a dominant 1,029 days, starting with a win in the Australian opener.
Verstappen didn't lead the standings at all that season, a first since 2020, yet he almost grabbed the 2025 title. Norris beat Verstappen by just two points after 24 races and six F1 Sprints. Piastri finished third, 13 points behind
Christian Danner believes Piastri lacked the 'consistency' needed to win the 2025 title. Norris passed Piastri in Mexico City after winning from pole position in the 20th of 24 rounds. Piastri had been in front since his win in Saudi Arabia in the fifth round and led by as much as 34 points after winning the Dutch race in the 15th round.
Danner told sport.de that Piastri is still a rookie next to Norris and Verstappen. He had a lot to learn, which is key in a championship fight.
He needs a certain level of consistency, which he lost a bit in the final part of the season. But he got it back and was great in the end. That's why the three-way fight for the title was so interesting, even with all the issues the drivers faced.
Piastri was consistent for most of 2025. The Australian finished on the podium in 14 of the first 16 races. But he only got two more podiums in the last eight.
Norris also had 13 podiums in the first 16 races. He would have had 14 if not for an oil issue in the Dutch race. He was in second place when Piastri won his seventh and final race.
Piastri's season took a turn starting at Monza. He recovered when F1 went to Qatar and Abu Dhabi. McLaren's order for Piastri to let Norris pass him in the Italian race seemed to start Piastri's fall in 2025.
Danner isn't alone in thinking Piastri needs to improve to challenge Norris and Verstappen. Guenther Steiner says Piastri is “to blame” for losing the 2025 title, saying he did “nothing” between rounds 17 and 22.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown feels Piastri can win a title, maybe in 2026 with the new F1 rules. He nearly won in 2025, but Piastri can't repeat his late-season struggles.
KIM KARDASHIAN AND LEWIS HAMILTON SPOTTED ON ROMANTIC EUROPEAN TOUR TOGETHER
Kim Kardashian and F1 star Lewis Hamilton are turning heads across Europe as insiders reveal Kim's "Russell Wilson" nickname.
Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton are the latest celebrity duo making waves, and apparently, Kim’s already got a cheeky nickname for him. The two have been spotted out together in the Cotswolds, London, and Paris, just enjoying themselves and turning a few heads in the process.
Word is, Kim’s close friends are spilling a few details about this new romance. One insider claims Lewis isn’t looking to settle down right now, but Kim still has a special name for him—she calls him “her Russell Wilson”. If you know the reference, it’s a nod to NFL star Russell Wilson, who married singer Ciara after her high-profile breakup with rapper Future. Friends say Kim thinks of Lewis as a “sophisticated upgrade” from her ex, Kanye West.
Kim and Kanye—now legally known as Ye—were married from 2014 to 2021 and share four kids. Their co-parenting relationship is famously complicated.
Kim’s reportedly a bit anxious about how Kanye will react to her new thing with Lewis, considering Kanye and Lewis were friends back in the day. One source told the Mail, “They’re both cautious about Kanye’s feelings since he and Lewis go way back. Kim’s living for herself these days, but she doesn’t want to poke the bear. They know this could set Kanye off, so they’re keeping it light and just having fun for now.”
Kim and Lewis first crossed paths years ago at GQ’s 2014 Men of the Year Awards. Back then, they both showed up with their now-exes—Kim was with Ye, and Lewis was with Nicole Scherzinger.
Kanye even had Lewis over for Easter one year. He talked about it: “Lewis Hamilton’s over at my house, and we’re playing some music in my studio. We’re having Easter brunch—my wife’s family, my friends, everyone’s there. And everybody’s like, ‘What is this music?’ and I’m like, ‘It’s Lewis Hamilton’s music.’”
Since splitting from Ye, Kim’s dated Pete Davidson and moved on. Kanye’s remarried, too—this time to Australian architect Bianca Censori.
Those two have been in the headlines a lot, usually for their wild fashion choices. Things got especially wild when Bianca showed up at the Grammy Awards in a see-through gown. She arrived in a black fur coat but ditched it to reveal a sheer dress that left little to the imagination. People at the event were definitely stunned.
FERRARI SF-26 COMPLETES 121 LAPS IN HISTORIC LEWIS HAMILTON-LECLERC BARCELONA DEBUT
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completed a "productive" 121-lap debut for the Ferrari SF-26 during 2026 testing in Barcelona.
Ferrari kicked off its on-track work for the 2026 Formula One season with a steady first day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc split driving duties in the team’s bold new car, and the whole thing felt like the start of a new chapter.
With the 2026 rules shaking up both the chassis and the power unit, Ferrari didn’t chase lap times. They zeroed in on checking systems, making sure their data lined up, and ironing out any reliability kinks. The weather threw a few curveballs—rain, some dry patches—but even so, they got through their plan and stacked up plenty of laps.
Leclerc seemed upbeat after his first taste of the new machine. He said it felt good to get back behind the wheel and start figuring out the car, even if the focus was just on systems and not raw speed. “We came here to understand how everything works,” he said. “With the weather mixed up, today was all about checks. We finished what we set out to do, and the car did what we expected. It’s a solid start and a decent base.”
Hamilton, now officially in Ferrari red, felt the same. For him, it was a busy day—lots of on-track time, plenty of new things to get used to—but he called it productive. “We got good mileage, learnt a lot, and didn’t hit any big issues. That’s what matters with so many changes coming in. This gives us a strong platform for the next few days.”
Ferrari’s Head of Track Engineering, Matteo Togninalli, stressed how important it was just to get through the day cleanly. “Given the conditions, it went well for us,” he said. Rain or not, they racked up the laps and—most importantly—avoided any real reliability problems. That’s the top priority when you’re shaking down a brand-new car and engine.
Performance talk? Still way too early for that. Right now, Ferrari’s just learning how this new car behaves, gathering data, and building up bit by bit as the days go on—keeping their focus squarely on themselves.