McLaren Team Principal, Andrea Stella, has shared his thoughts on the championship battle between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri ahead of the final three races of the season, with Norris leading Piastri by 24-points.

The Brazilian Grand Prix last weekend saw Norris extend his lead in the championship to 24-points over Piastri, who had another tricky weekend. The Australian crashed out of the sprint race and was involved in a collision with Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc during the Grand Prix, which would earn the McLaren driver a 10-second penalty.

Meanwhile, team-mate Norris was able to cruise to victory in the sprint race and Grand Prix, outscoring Piastri by a huge margin of 23-points throughout the weekend, to the dismay of Piastri's manager, Mark Webber.

Speaking on the championship battle between both McLaren drivers, Stella said: "We just have to make sure that we stay focused on ourselves, and focused on executing weekends like Lando has executed here in Brazil or Mexico. With Oscar, make sure our opportunities are capitalised. Honestly, when it comes to the points, we will take a look at the end of Vegas and we will see where we are."

Norris and Piastri at the Brazilian Grand Prix - Photo: Race Pictures

Last season, McLaren suffered at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with Norris and Piastri finishing in sixth and seventh position respectively. This result also ensured that Verstappen won the 2024 Drivers' championship. Norris has already downplayed McLaren's hopes around Vegas for 2025.

However, even if Piastri wins every single remaining race, including the Qatar sprint race, all Norris needs to do is ensure that he finishes in second position. Should Norris be able to achieve that, he will be crowned World Champion come Abu Dhabi.

But Piastri has only taken one victory since returning from the summer break, at the Dutch Grand Prix, where Norris' engine failed and the Brit was forced to retire from the Grand Prix. Piastri has also failed to stand on the podium since the Italian Grand Prix at the start of September.

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On the other hand, Verstappen, despite a herculean drive from the pit lane to a podium finish, took a hit in the Drivers' championship, and now sits 49-points down on Norris in the championship. There is a maximum of 83-points available for the remainder of the season.

Verstappen will need to beat Norris at Las Vegas in order to stay in the championship hunt for Qatar, whilst Piastri will also need to be within 25-points of Norris at the end of the Qatar Grand Prix weekend in order to challenge for the championship at the final race in Abu Dhabi.

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