At a glance: 2025’s biggest points swings so far

Drivers’ lead: Oscar Piastri leads the 2025 Drivers’ Championship and extended his advantage to 34 points after Zandvoort.
Dutch GP drama: A late mechanical DNF for Lando Norris while running at the front turned a tight title fight into a bigger gap as Piastri won at Zandvoort.
Constructors picture: McLaren holds a commanding advantage in the Constructors’, sitting hundreds of points clear of Ferrari with nine races and three sprints still to go.
Rookie shock: Isack Hadjar claimed his first F1 podium at the Dutch GP, reshuffling midfield points.
Key spoilers: Wins for Max Verstappen (Imola) and George Russell (Canada) punctured McLaren momentum on critical weekends.

This season’s fight has swung on sprints, reliability, and single-lap margins. Below we break down the most consequential weekends, why they mattered for the F1 points system, and what to watch next as the championship story tightens.

Why “points swings” decide championships

In modern Formula 1, title races are often decided not only by outright pace but by how efficiently teams and drivers convert weekends into points. A swing happens when one contender maximizes a weekend—win, podium, and sprint haul—while a rival leaves empty‑handed (DNF), under‑scores (penalties, strategy miss), or loses out in a sprint. With up to 33 points available to one driver across a sprint weekend (8 for Sprint + 25 for Grand Prix, a single round can create a double‑digit momentum shift.

If you need a refresher on how points are awarded—including sprints and special formats—see our explainers on Sprint Race Points, Standings in Shortened Races, and Fastest Lap Points History. For team‑level implications, read our guide to the Constructors’ Championship.

Zandvoort: The pivotal Dutch Grand Prix swing

The Dutch Grand Prix delivered the biggest single‑weekend swing so far. Oscar Piastri won at Zandvoort with a commanding performance, while Lando Norris suffered a late mechanical failure just laps from home after running strongly at the front. The result lifted Piastri’s championship cushion to 34 points and showcased how reliability can be just as decisive as pace.

Winner: Oscar Piastri
Second: Max Verstappen
Third: George Russell
Notable: Lando Norris retired late from P2 contention

The ripple effect was two‑fold:

Piastri banked a full 25 points on a day when his closest rival scored none.
The midfield shuffled dramatically thanks to Isack Hadjar securing his first F1 podium earlier in the weekend’s headlines and pace storylines feeding into Sunday’s race fight, injecting surprise points into the Constructors’ battle.

Result: The title narrative shifted from a coin‑flip between McLaren teammates to Piastri controlling a meaningful lead into the post‑summer run‑in.

Hungary: Margins that matter

At the Hungarian Grand Prix, McLaren’s intra‑team duel crystallized just how small differences create big seasonal outcomes. Lando Norris beat Oscar Piastri by less than a second in a straight fight, a result that trimmed momentum in the headline McLaren battle and marked a milestone weekend for the team.

Why it mattered: The difference between 25 and 18 points is only seven on paper, but stacked over a season these micro‑margins accumulate. In a year with six sprints, a handful of 7‑point flips is enough to keep a title alive or wriggle free from pressure.

Imola (Emilia Romagna): Red Bull bites back

When Max Verstappen won at Imola, it interrupted McLaren’s scoring rhythm and clawed back ground against both orange cars. Verstappen’s wins are critical swing points because they deny McLaren a maximum haul while boosting Red Bull’s constructors total.

Takeaway: Even in a McLaren‑led season, opportunistic wins by rivals prevent runaway leads and set up late‑season jeopardy.

Canada: Mercedes converts pressure into points

George Russell turned a pressure‑cooker weekend into Mercedes’ first victory of the season in Montreal, navigating safety‑car timing and late‑race threats. That win was a swing on two fronts: it slotted Russell firmly into the upper pack on the Drivers’ side and delivered a high‑value constructors haul, especially on a weekend when direct rivals left points on the table.

Why swings like this matter: When a non‑favorite snatches a win, the championship leader’s buffer shrinks and the Constructors’ matrix reshuffles—especially if the leader’s teammate finishes outside the podium window.

The rookie spike: Isack Hadjar’s first podium

Rookie Isack Hadjar took an eye‑catching P3 at Zandvoort, the kind of result that turns a midfield weekend into a jackpot. For the Drivers’ table, it’s a career‑defining launchpad; for the Constructors’, it’s a budget‑moving result. Midfield swings like this don’t decide the title, but they absolutely decide prize‑money places and can tilt development planning for next year’s car.

Ferrari: Nostalgia off‑track, headwinds on‑track

Ferrari’s Monza weekend was draped in history—celebrating the 50th anniversary of Niki Lauda’s first title—yet on track the story has been tougher. No wins so far, grid penalties in the mix, and—critically—no podium yet for Lewis Hamilton in 15 starts with the Scuderia this season. Over the year, that has translated into lost opportunities across both championships and left Ferrari chasing McLaren’s sizeable lead in the standings.

Constructors implication: On paper, Ferrari’s worst weekends hand McLaren a double swing—both orange cars typically score high, and Ferrari’s haul stays modest. Over multiple rounds, those double‑digit deficits inflate the gap far faster than single‑car under‑performance.

Understanding the mechanics of a “swing weekend”

Sprint amplification

On sprint Saturdays, the 8–7–6–5–4–3–2–1 scale adds meaningful upside—or downside—before lights‑out on Sunday. A title rival who wins the Sprint while you finish outside the top eight can pocket a near third of a race win’s worth of points within 30 minutes. Flip the script on Sunday and you break even; drop Sunday points and you suffer a double hit.

Read our full explainer on how F1 awards points in sprint races.

Shortened‑race wrinkles

Weather chaos compresses gaps and changes the value of track position. Under the sliding points scale for shortened races, the payout shrinks—especially if the race ends before 50% distance—which can blunt the maximum swing but increase volatility. Full details, examples and scenarios are in How F1 Standings Are Calculated in Shortened Races.

The standings picture right now

Drivers: Oscar Piastri leads, with seven wins anchoring a season built on consistency and execution. Lando Norris remains the closest challenger after setbacks like Zandvoort’s DNF trimmed his room for error. Max Verstappen has punctuated the year with key victories—most notably at Imola—to keep the pressure on.
Constructors: McLaren’s scoring rate from both cars has created a sizeable cushion over Ferrari. With nine Grands Prix and three sprints still to come, there’s room for twists—but the orange cars currently hold the high ground.

What this means: Title momentum favors McLaren and Piastri, but the calendar length plus sprint amplification ensures there are still multiple double‑digit swing opportunities on the table.

Five weekends that shaped 2025 (so far)

1) Dutch GP – Reliability decides the lead

Piastri’s win and Norris’s late DNF transformed a nip‑and‑tuck duel into a 34‑point lead. Verstappen’s P2 and Russell’s P3 underlined how one non‑finish can echo through both championships.

2) Hungary – One‑second margins compound over time

Norris edged Piastri in a clean fight. Seven points doesn’t sound like much, but stack three or four of those and you’ve moved an entire race victory on the scoreboard.

3) Imola – Verstappen vetoes a McLaren max‑score

Red Bull’s win denied McLaren the big Sunday haul and trimmed the orange march. Weekends like this keep the title math alive.

4) Canada – Mercedes takes a timely jackpot

Russell capitalized on a knife‑edge race to give Mercedes their first W of the year—both a morale lift and a constructors swing on a weekend when rivals stumbled.

5) Zandvoort Midfield – Hadjar’s debut podium

A rookie P3 is a budget‑moving result. Racing Bulls converted pace into a haul that can decide year‑end prize money and reframe development targets.

What to watch in the run‑in

Sprints as equalizers: Expect at least one more weekend where a Sprint result inverts Sunday expectations. An 8‑point Saturday swing can set a team up for a low‑risk, high‑reward strategy on Sunday.
Team orders and risk tolerance: If Norris needs to start trimming the gap, McLaren’s strategy balance between its cars will be under the microscope. Early pit windows and undercuts become higher‑leverage gambles.
Ferrari’s floor: A clean, high‑scoring double finish would slow McLaren’s constructors march. More scrappy weekends will only inflate the gap.
Midfield volatility: Podium‑capable days for Aston Martin, Racing Bulls, or Haas can reorder P5–P8 in the teams’ table overnight.

Frequently asked questions

How many points can swing in a single sprint weekend?
Up to 33 points for one driver (8 for Sprint + 25 for the Grand Prix). The rival’s under‑score or DNF can amplify the net swing.

What’s the current F1 points distribution for full‑distance races?
Top 10 score 25–18–15–12–10–8–6–4–2–1. Learn more in our F1 points system explainer.

Do sprints count toward both titles?
Yes. Sprint points (8–7–6–5–4–3–2–1) count toward both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. Details here: Sprint Race Points.

How do shortened races affect swings?
Shortened races award reduced points on a sliding scale depending on distance completed under green‑flag conditions, which can cap the maximum swing but increase volatility. Full guide: Standings in Shortened Races.

Who leads the championships right now?
Oscar Piastri leads the Drivers’ Championship after Zandvoort. McLaren leads the Constructors’ standings by a substantial margin over Ferrari.

Final thought

Championships are won on the big weekends—and protected on the small ones. In 2025, the defining swings have come from reliability hits, sprint leverage, and split‑second execution between McLaren teammates. With sprints still to run and nine Grands Prix ahead, the scoreboard can change quickly. Keep RaceMate handy on Sundays—we’ll crunch the live permutations so you can see the standings change in real time the moment they happen.