Lando Norris feels "more of a threat" to Oscar Piastri in 2025 F1 title fight

The McLaren driver has cut his deficit to F1 leader Oscar Piastri to eight points after winning the last two rounds in Austria and Britain

Lando Norris believes he is “more of a threat now” to Formula 1 championship leader Oscar Piastri but is still not happy with his current performance level as both fight for a maiden world title.

The Briton is second in the 2025 F1 standings and eight points behind his McLaren team-mate going into this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, which is round 13 of the current campaign.

Norris arrives at Spa with the momentum, though, having won the last two grands prix - Austria and then Britain - cutting a deficit that stood at 22 points to Piastri before those victories.

It has been the perfect way for Norris to bounce back from his Canada disappointment three rounds ago, as he retired after crashing into Piastri late on, so the Briton believes he’s finally putting up more of a fight to his team-mate.

“I feel like I climbed a little bit back to where I was,” said Norris. “The most positive thing from those two weekends was just that the pace was better from the off and I was more comfortable with the car and in understanding how to get the most pace from it.

“At times that brings more of a smile to my face than just winning the race itself because it's progress, it's seeing progress and that's always a very good thing. It's a very rewarding thing.

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

“But I still know that there's still more I need to get. There's still more things. I feel better than what I did. So do I feel more confident that I can have more performances like that? Yes.

“Do I feel as good as I still felt last season and that I'm performing at the same level consistently enough? I would still say no.

“I have more understanding of everything now. But we're talking minute things, like incredibly small gains here and there. I feel more of a threat now. But am I happy enough still with where I'm at, where the car is, and my harmony with the car? It's still not to the level that I want.”

Norris finished second to Max Verstappen in the 2024 championship and ended the year as McLaren’s leading driver, as Piastri finished 82 points behind his team-mate and fourth in the standings.

But significant gains from Piastri over the winter, like in qualifying trim, added with McLaren designing a car that Norris said in March doesn’t suit him, led to the Australian overtaking his older team-mate.

So when asked at Spa why Norris thinks he has been able to get back on level terms with Piastri, he put it down to becoming more versatile.