Coming from behind Norris could follow F1’s greatest champions

Just weeks ago, he was behind by more than 30 points. Now, with four races left in the 2025 Formula One season, he finds himself leading the title race for the first time in his career - a shift few would have predicted when scanning the F1 betting odds earlier in the campaign.

It’s a marginal advantage, but history shows that Formula One championships are often decided by moments like this, when a driver turns momentum into magic.

Several greats have come from behind to seize the crown, and Norris could well be the next name on that list.

James Hunt began the season as the underdog, racing for McLaren against championship favourite Niki Lauda.

Lauda built an enormous early lead through sheer consistency and precision, while disqualifications, appeals, and bad luck plagued Hunt’s campaign. At one point, Hunt was more than 30 points behind and seemingly out of the title race.

However, Lauda’s horrific crash at the Nurburgring forced him to miss two races. Hunt seized the moment, winning four of the next six races to close the gap.

Everything came down to the final round in torrential rain in Fuji, with just three points separating Lauda and Hunt. Lauda retired after just two laps, deeming the conditions unsafe, but Hunt pressed on to finish third, just enough to snatch the championship by a single point.

When Raikkonen joined Ferarri at the start of the season, replacing Michael Schumacher, expectations were sky-high. But the year began unevenly for him, which left him chasing the McLaren pair of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso for much of the campaign.

With five rounds remaining, Hamilton was at the head of the standings with 84 points, five clear of Alonso, and 15 ahead of Felipe Massa, who sat in third. Raikkonen was back in fourth place with 68 points.

But Raikkonen’s late-season charge gathered momentum after victory in Belgium, but the McLaren duo still had the upper hand with two races left of the season.

But everything changed in China, the penultimate fixture in the calendar – in rain-affected conditions, Hamilton slid wide and experienced his first retirement in Formula One. Raikkonen capitalised by taking the win and sliced the gap to just seven points.

Heading into the final race in Brazil, the title was still McLaren’s to lose, but Raikkonen delivered a flawless performance to seal the victory, and when the points were tallied, the Iceman had overturned the deficit to become world champion by a single point.

Midway through the 2012 season, the championship looked like Fernando Alonso’s to lose, as the Ferrari driver had built a comfortable lead through sheer consistency. Red Bull, on the other hand, struggled with reliability, and with eight races remaining, Alonso was in front of Vettel by 24 points.

But Vettel and Red Bull found their stride when it mattered most, and a run of four consecutive victories – Singapore, Japan, Korea, and India – reignited the title race and put him back in contention as he led by 13 points.

The finale in Brazil became a defining chapter in F1 history. On the opening lap, Vettel was hit and spun, dropping to the back of the field with a damaged car. He fought back through rain and nerves to finish sixth — just enough to claim his third consecutive world title by a mere three points.

For Lando Norris, the past offers a clear message. Every great champion found a way to turn pressure into performance when the stakes were highest.

With just a single point separating him from Oscar Piastri, the difference between triumph and heartbreak couldn’t be finer. If Norris can keep his cool, trust his instincts, and keep doing what he’s been doing all season, he might just turn this tense, late-season fight into the defining moment of his career.