Just three points separate Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris after the one-third mark of the 2025 Formula 1 season but Max Verstappen is still in touching distance of the McLaren pair.

Piastri is three points ahead of Norris with Verstappen 25 points behind the Australian going into this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Traditionally, a car which is quick around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is fast at most tracks on the calendar but a technical clampdown on flexi-wings will also add to the intrigue surrounding McLaren’s pace advantage over the field and whether that remains.

McLaren have a huge 152-point lead over Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship and are 156 points ahead of Red Bull.

Their evenly matched driver pairing means Norris and Piastri have taken points away from each other though in the Drivers’ Championship, while Verstappen has not had to worry about his team-mate and maximised most of his results.

Although McLaren currently have a slight pace advantage over the field, that could change quickly through upgrades from their rivals and understanding of the cars.

This weekend in Spain, a new load test on front wings will be introduced which Red Bull boss Christian Horner says will have an “impact”.

Whether that negatively affects McLaren remains to be seen, but if it does, and Verstappen can regularly challenge for wins on outright pace, will Zak Brown and Andrea Stella regret not having a number one driver?

No point in upsetting one driver

Speaking on The F1 Show, Sky Sports F1’s David Croft made the point that having an outright lead driver at McLaren would only lead to Norris or Piastri looking elsewhere for a driver.

“The massive gap McLaren have puts to bed the debate that they need a number one and number two driver,” said Croft.

“McLaren say they ‘will pursue the best interests of the team while preserving the interest of the drivers’. As racing fans we want to see racing. We don’t want to see team orders or drivers sacrificing their race for someone else.

“They are making the points they need for the constructors’ and letting the drivers scrap it out. We are in for a mega season.

“The team want to win the Constructors’ Championship, right? The team are not going to sacrifice a driver, when both can win a Drivers’ Championship, whilst they can easily win a Constructors’ Championship. There’s no point in doing that, because all you’re going to do is hasten the exit out the door of either Lando or Oscar.”

What if Verstappen is still in the title fight in the second half of the season?

Verstappen has won two of the eight F1 races, in Suzuka and Imola, but only at the latter have Red Bull arguably had a stronger car than McLaren.

Sky Sports F1‘s Simon Lazenby did not fully agree with Croft and thinks McLaren may need to back the leading driver in the standings if Verstappen remains in touching distance later in the season.

“If it comes down to it, the drivers’ Spanish GP: Have McLaren built a big enough championship lead over Max Verstappen before rule change? | F1 News is the one that they want now,” he said.

“Let’s say one of the drivers gets 25 or 30 points ahead, but Max is hot on the heels, are they not going to put all their eggs in the basket for the one that’s leading [the championship]. Are they not actually going to do a Monaco Grand Prix [strategy] and use the second driver as a buffer?”

Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins added: “If they get to a point where they are crashing into each other and therefore risking the Constructors’ Championship, that’s the point where they will say ‘enough is enough’.

“For now, when they are fighting cleanly and both gaining good points in the Constructors’ Championship, there will be a point when mathematically that’s done and at that point there’s even less need to tell them to hold station.

“Zak wants it all. One-two in the drivers’ and to win the constructors’, so he will make his drivers as happy as he can to make that happen.”

Sky Sports F1’s Spanish Grand Prix schedule

Thursday May 29
2pm: Drivers’ Press Conference

Friday May 30
8.50am: F3 Practice
10am: F2 Practice
12pm: Spanish GP Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm)
1.55pm: F3 Qualifying
2.50pm: F2 Qualifying
3.35pm: Spanish GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)
5.15pm: The F1 Show

Saturday May 31
9am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: Spanish GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.10pm: Spanish GP Qualifying build-up*
3pm: SPANISH GP QUALIFYING*

Sunday June 1
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Spanish GP build-up*
2pm: The SPANISH GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Spanish GP reaction

*also live on Sky Sports Main Event

F1’s European triple header concludes with the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, with live coverage starting from Friday on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime