As the 2025 Formula 1 season hurtles towards its conclusion, the stage is set for one of the most exciting title fights in recent years. Adding even more spice to an already tense run-in are three Sprint weekends scattered across the final six rounds, which could make or break a championship bid.
What To Know?
- Tight McLaren title fight: Oscar Piastri leads team-mate Lando Norris by just 22 points heading into the final six races, setting up a thrilling intra-team battle for the 2025 F1 crown.
- Three pivotal Sprint weekends: Austin, São Paulo and Qatar will each host a 100km Sprint, offering 24 extra points that could dramatically alter the championship standings before the finale.
- Verstappen still in the mix: Despite sitting 63 points behind Piastri, Max Verstappen and Red Bull have shown renewed pace under Laurent Mekies’ leadership, keeping their faint title hopes alive.
Austin, São Paulo and Qatar are the chosen battlegrounds. Across these venues, a total of 24 extra points are up for grabs in 100km Saturday events, and for the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, those Sprints might be decisive.
At present, Piastri holds a 22-point cushion over Norris, with Max Verstappen lurking 63 points behind the Australian. The reigning four-time world champion is far from out of it, but the McLaren drivers have been the class of the field in 2025, and the team’s inter-team tension is beginning to simmer at just the wrong (or right) time.
A schedule with a twist
For the first time since the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix back in July, the Sprint format returns this weekend at the 2025 United States Grand Prix in Texas. From there, it alternates in and out of the calendar until the finale. The combination of full-length races and shorter Sprints means that every weekend now carries enormous weight in shaping the destiny of this year’s title.
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The Sprint format gives drivers just one hour of practice before Sprint Qualifying kicks off on Friday afternoon. The 100km dash follows on Saturday morning, setting the tone before regular qualifying and Sunday’s main event take over.
Who can master the Sprint setup?
The Sprint format presents a fascinating technical challenge. Teams must fine-tune their cars with only a single practice session (FP1), rather than the usual three. For engineers and drivers, it’s a test of adaptability and nerve.
Some teams split their approaches, experimenting with different setups across both cars to gather as much data as possible. McLaren, now Constructors’ Champions for 2025, might even allow a more individualistic approach for their drivers as the season winds down.
Yet with Verstappen still in mathematical contention, there’s every chance McLaren will continue to use their dual-driver advantage to shut the door on Red Bull’s hopes. The Dutchman can take some comfort, though. Since Laurent Mekies took over from Christian Horner as Red Bull team principal in July, the team has started race weekends looking far sharper. Mekies’ engineering pedigree has been cited as a major influence on their recent uptick in form.
To risk it or not?
Sprints have often been accused of being tame affairs, with drivers unwilling to jeopardise their main race for minimal reward. After all, a battle between the McLarens for victory might only mean a two-point swing in the standings.
Earlier this year, such a trade-off seemed hardly worth the risk. But now, with just a handful of races left, Norris might well decide that playing it safe won’t be enough. Every point counts, and every pass could matter.
Meanwhile, others in the field could sense an opportunity. Verstappen, with little to lose, may attack with abandon, while drivers further down the order might gamble in pursuit of glory. Piastri, typically calm and calculated, has been the most consistent Sprint performer this season, finishing runner-up in all three so far. He may continue to favour a steady, points-first approach.
Rising tensions at McLaren
For most of the season, Norris and Piastri have managed their intra-team rivalry with impressive professionalism. But recent cracks have begun to show. In Italy and Singapore, Piastri expressed frustration over team decisions, and in Azerbaijan, his weekend unravelled with crashes in both qualifying and the race.
As F1 President Stefano Domenicali often says, the Sprint format’s appeal lies in the fact that “a competitive session will always be more exciting than practice”. Over the coming weeks, that philosophy is likely to be tested to its limit.
At this stage of the season, any contact, controversy or perceived injustice between the McLaren pair will ignite headlines. Each Sprint weekend now carries double jeopardy: two qualifying sessions and two chances for chaos. With COTA and Interlagos offering some of the best overtaking opportunities on the calendar, the chances of fireworks are high.
History suggests drama is guaranteed
This is the first time since the Sprint’s introduction in 2021 that the format has genuinely had the potential to influence a close title fight. That year, Lewis Hamilton’s charge from last to fifth in the São Paulo Sprint became an instant classic, a moment that encapsulated why the format was introduced in the first place.
Norris’ own Sprint victory in Brazil last season briefly rekindled his title hopes against Verstappen before rain on Sunday extinguished them. Now, history could repeat itself, or rewrite itself, depending on how McLaren’s drivers handle the pressure.
For years, the dominance of a single team or driver has dulled the drama of the shorter Saturday races. Not this time. With the top three still mathematically in the fight and the tension between team-mates bubbling, these next few weeks could deliver the kind of Sprint spectacles fans have been waiting for.
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