Former British Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert has backed Oscar Piastri to fight Lando Norris next season for number-one status at McLaren.
Norris’ gap to Championship leader Max Verstappen extended to 62 points after the Dutchman was victorious at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
It means Verstappen can be crowned F1 World Champion at the next race, the Las Vegas Grand Prix if he outscores Norris or the British driver finishes outside of the points.
Earlier on in the season, Piastri and Norris were told by McLaren there would be ‘papaya rules’ when it comes to fighting your team-mate – essentially both drivers were treated equally and given orders to race fairly.
However, that went out of the window as McLaren has used team orders since to aid Norris’ title bid, like in Brazil where Piastri was given instructions to let his team-mate take the Sprint Race victory.
But with the title seemingly out of reach for the British driver, there could be a switch in power at the Woking-based outfit.
Herbert believes 2025 will be Piastri’s year at McLaren as he told Vision4Sport: “If we go to Abu Dhabi and the championship is done and it is not possible for Lando to win [the drivers’ title], that will already have changed.
“That will be letting Oscar be allowed to go out there and win the race if he can.
“The whole dynamic will swap over very quickly this year and will continue into 2025.”
Herbert expects ‘one helluva fight’ between top teams in 2025
Red Bull’s dominance was put to an end in 2024, evident by Verstappen’s 10-race winless streak before Brazil, as Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren have all taken victories this season.
There have also been seven different race winners in one of the most competitive seasons since the 2021 showdown between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
2025 promises to be an exciting year if the top four remain close to each other, as they are now, in terms of pace and performance – especially if Mercedes can join the fight more regularly next year than it has in 2024.
Speaking about next year’s title battle, Herbert said: “It is really exciting, people need to be there to see the start of the season next year.
“It’s going to be one helluva fight the whole year between four teams.”
The ex-Benetton racing driver added to his comments about the shift in power between the McLaren drivers.
“Oscar will be very difficult to beat but Lando has upped his game when he has had to and has been the man who has effectively led the team to be where it is at the moment.”
Norris needs a miracle if he wants to stay in the Championship fight and to keep his title hopes alive in Las Vegas he has to outscore Verstappen by at least three points.
READ MORE: McLaren’s slow start pinpointed as moment Lando Norris lost 2024 F1 title
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