Despite the fact that McLaren has had a solid performance this season, Lando Norris is of the opinion that it would be irresponsible to disregard Max Verstappen's prospects of winning the Formula One championship. Norris is presently in second place in the drivers' standings, three points behind his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Piastri is the leader right now. Piastri has won four of the eight races that have been held in 2025, which has contributed to McLaren's 172-point lead in the constructors' title.
One of the most tough competitors is still Max Verstappen, who is now the defending world champion. Not only did he win the Japanese Grand Prix, but he also won the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, making him the first driver from a team other than McLaren to win a race this season. Although they have had a lot of success, Red Bull has encountered certain difficulties with its RB21 vehicle, which were most noticeable in Bahrain and Monaco. Norris, on the other hand, is of the opinion that these problems do not exclude Verstappen from contention.
On each and every weekend, Norris emphasized that Verstappen continues to be a formidable competitor. According to what he said, "We are racing Max every weekend." "He has appeared on the podium on many occasions. He is a race winner. Because he was faster, he was able to defeat us at Imola. It was a fair and square competition. The fact that Verstappen continues to pose a threat despite McLaren's domination is shown by this.
Norris insists that his attitude to racing has not altered, despite the fact that he is aware of the competition put out by Verstappen and the struggle he has been having with Piastri. "It's a great feeling to be in the lead of the championship and to have more points than everyone," he said to reporters. Nevertheless, he is adamant that this does not affect the everyday efforts he puts out or the objectives he has for each race weekend.
Following the successful conversion of his pole position in Monaco into a second victory for the year 2025, Norris comes in Barcelona with a sense of self-assurance. If he were to duplicate his accomplishment in Spain, it would be his twelfth pole position of his career and his third consecutive achievement of a double pole position. In addition to this, he has the potential to become the first driver in Spain to achieve consecutive pole positions since Lewis Hamilton.
What Is the Record for Verstappen at Barcelona
While competing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Verstappen has regularly performed exceptionally well, scoring a greater number of podium finishes (eight) and victories (four) than he has at any other grand prix venue. His current single-race point total is 168, and if he manages to collect at least 11 points on Sunday, it would be his greatest point total ever, surpassing Austria's total of 178. In spite of the fact that he has not been able to secure pole position since the Miami Grand Prix, which was his third race of the season, Verstappen has frequently won without starting from pole position.
It will be his 33rd victory of this kind if he is victorious once more in Spain without starting from pole position. This would put him on par with Alain Prost for the third-most victories of all time. The fact that Verstappen was able to overcome starting difficulties and maintain his competitiveness throughout the races is demonstrated by this moment.
Which teams are currently in the championship
According to the current rankings for drivers, Oscar Piastri is in the lead with 161 points, followed by Lando Norris with 158 points and Max Verstappen with 136 points. George Russell, who drives for Mercedes, is now in fourth place with 99 points, while Charles Leclerc, who drives for Ferrari, is currently placed in fifth place with 79 points.
In terms of the constructors' standings, McLaren is in a commanding lead with 319 points, Mercedes is in second place with 147 points, Red Bull is in hot pursuit of them with 143 points, Ferrari is in fourth position with 142 points, and Williams completes the top five with 54 points.
It is quite likely that McLaren will have another good outing as they strive to continue their remarkable streak of scoring in 46 consecutive grand prix races. If they are successful in Spain this weekend, they will have accomplished a feat that might break Ferrari's record, further consolidating their domination in the 2025 season thus far.
