McLaren head to Austin with focus now on F1 Drivers’ Championship

Wednesday, 15 October 2025 at 07:30

Fresh off sealing the 2025 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship, McLaren arrive in Austin determined to carry their momentum into the battle for the Drivers’ title as the season enters its final stretch with both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in contention.

Norris has enjoyed a strong run recently and managed to close the gap to Piastri to 22 points in the 2025 Drivers' Championship.

The Briton heads to the Circuit of the Americas in confident mood but with his attention firmly set on the next target.

He said: “It’s amazing to be heading to Austin as Constructors’ Champions! But we still have six races left and a lot of important points up for grabs as we go for the Drivers’ Championship.

"The United States Grand Prix is always a fun one, especially as it’s a Sprint weekend. The fans always bring an incredible vibe, and I really enjoy driving around COTA. It’s fast with some good opportunities to overtake.

"I’m excited to get going again," Norris, who has won five races so far this season, concluded.

Piastri: I’m focused on performance, extracting the maximum

Piastri, the Championship leader, is equally upbeat as he prepares for another Sprint weekend. He said: “I'm really looking forward to taking on the Circuit of the Americas, especially with this being a Sprint weekend.

"I'm focused totally on performance and extracting the maximum from both races. The track has some cool sections, in particular the high-speed esses, and the layout allows for some good racing.

"I always enjoy it there and this weekend should be fun too," the 24-year-old Aussie concluded.

As for McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella, he praised his team’s effort in clinching the F1 Constructors’ Crown but insisted the job is far from done.

He said: “We go into the United States Grand Prix as the 2025 Constructors' Champions, which is something we are very proud of.

"This weekend is also a Sprint event, giving both our drivers good opportunities to continue scoring more important points. It is one of the drivers' favourite circuits to race at, so we look forward to providing them with the conditions to have a strong race weekend.

"I'm extremely proud of the entire team who have worked hard to get us to this point but we still have a lot more to achieve this year," the Italian concluded.

The 2025 United States Grand Prix be the first since Norris and Piastri clashed in the Singapore Grand Prix, potentially binning the team's Papaya rulebook and it will be intriguing to see how the teammates behave while fighting for the Drivers' Crown and how the team will manage them.