Chandhok weighs in on rivalry between Norris and Piastri

The 2025 Formula 1 season is in full swing, and we seem to have a proper title fight on our hands this year. Piastri is currently topping the Formula 1 leaderboard with 146 points, followed by his teammate Norris on P2 with 133 points and Max Verstappen on P3 with 124 points. As we’re only seven race weekends into the season, truly anything can still happen, especially after Red Bull’s amazing performance in Imola. But as we’re continuing into the European leg of the season, the McLaren drivers still seem to be the ones to beat.

Up until now, Norris and Piastri have been solid teammates, and there’s been little to no drama. However, now that the two of them are battling for the championship, it’s not impossible to think that the dynamic between them could change rapidly. We’ve already seen a similar situation occur with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in 2016, the latter eventually winning his first and only championship. So, the question remains, will the two be able to continue to keep it clean in 2025?

“I think they're keeping it clean”, Chandhok said during an interview with GPblog, adding that we haven’t really seen much close wheel-to-wheel racing between the two of them. “I think we saw it very briefly on the opening lap of Monza last year, where Oscar went on the outside of Lando. But other than that, you've not really seen a ding-dong teammate battle like Nico and Lewis.”

Although a wheel-to-wheel battle between Norris and Piastri could very well end up in tears, McLaren has been adamant to let the two drivers race freely. So, for the time being, both drivers will be given the same opportunities and treatment by the team. Chandhok can’t help but admire the stance of McLaren during this title fight. “When I speak with Zak [Brown] and when I speak with Andrea Stella, they’re expecting it and they're prepared for it.”

He continued: “They basically said to the drivers: ‘We're in a position where we're going to see you two fighting for the championship. We're going to see you two racing each other hard, and that’s fine. We’re in it for racing, that’s why we're here.” Chandhok added that he admires the ‘great racing attitude’ of Brown and Stella. “They're prepared to let the drivers race as long as they don't crash into each other, and that's fair. So yeah, I think we will see some good wheel-to-wheel racing. But I think they will keep it clean.”

Although the year has only just began, and Max Verstappen could still walk away from the 2025 season with his fifth consecutive world championship under his belt, the favourites for the win are still the McLaren drivers. Before the start of the Formula1 season, many expected Norris to be the one leading the British team to victory, however Piastri has proven to be a force to be reckoned with. When asked whether he thinks it will be Norris or Piastri leading the Papaya team to victory, Chandhok replied: “I think it's really tough to say.”

Over the past few years, Norris has been pretty vocal about his mental health issues, and, in particular, about his self-image issues. You’ll hardly ever find the British driver blaming the car for a mishap, as he usually is more focused on what he could have done better himself. His mentality has been a cause for discussion, as not everyone is happy about his openness surrounding his mental health issues. Some even said that his mental issues are what’s stopping him from becoming a world champion. Chandhok disagrees.

“I know a lot of people have gone down this path of: Lando’s mentally weak, and Lando’s falling apart and all the rest of it. I think it's very easy for people to beat Lando up”, he said. “The reality is that it’s because he's a driver who shows his emotions and wears his heart on his sleeve. When he comes out publicly and says that he's struggling or that he's not good enough... I actually think it's quite brave of him to come out and say these things and own it. Other drivers internalise it, it's just who he is.”

Chandhok emphasised that Norris has proven to be a quick driver and that we shouldn’t just rule him out of the title fight. The former Formula 1 driver also sees a clear area where Norris needs to improve. “I think he's aware that he's made mistakes in qualifying, and if he wants to beat Oscar, Max, George [Russell], Charles [Leclerc], Kimi [Antonelli] and people like that, then he needs to not make mistakes in qualifying. That's where it is. In the races, he’s been fine. He's made a few mistakes in qualifying, but he has not forgotten how to drive. He's still a bloody fast racing driver.”

One thing that has changed since the winter break is the fact that Chandhok no longer sees Norris as the big favourite for the title. And that’s not because he’s doing a poor job, but rather because Piastri has impressed him a lot. “I would now say that Oscar's a joint favourite for the championship. I think that Oscar's raised his game. Particularly in the races with tyre management. I would say that they are now joint favourites of the championship.” He ended up emphasising: “But I don't think it's fair for people to say that Lando’s mentally crumbled like a cookie and it’s over.”