Quick take

Street circuits and traditional circuits have split the 2025 story in revealing ways. On the streets (Australia, Saudi Arabia, Miami, Monaco, Canada), McLaren bagged early‑season heavy hauls through Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, but Montreal’s surprise winner George Russell and Norris’s no‑score there added volatility. On traditional circuits (China, Japan, Bahrain, Imola, Spain, Austria, Britain, Belgium, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy), consistency became the superpower: Piastri’s relentless podium rate stretched his Drivers’ Championship lead, while key swing weekends — Zandvoort’s Norris DNF and Monza’s Verstappen win — defined the run‑in tone.

For the rules behind the math, see: Sprint race points, standings in shortened races, fastest lap points history and the Constructors’ Championship points system. To frame how steady scoring wins titles, read our features on consistency and the season’s biggest points swings.

Method and definitions

  • We segment completed 2025 Grands Prix so far into two groups:
    • Street/temporary circuits: Australia (Albert Park), Saudi Arabia (Jeddah), Miami, Monaco, Canada (Île Notre‑Dame).
    • Traditional/permanent circuits: China (Shanghai), Japan (Suzuka), Bahrain (Sakhir), Emilia Romagna (Imola), Spain (Barcelona‑Catalunya), Austria (Red Bull Ring), Britain (Silverstone), Belgium (Spa‑Francorchamps), Hungary (Hungaroring), Netherlands (Zandvoort), Italy (Monza).
  • Points context: 2025 Grands Prix award 25‑18‑15‑12‑10‑8‑6‑4‑2‑1 to the top ten. There is no fastest‑lap point since 2024. Sprint events (later in the calendar) pay 8‑7‑6‑5‑4‑3‑2‑1 to the top eight on Saturday.
  • Data source: RaceMate live dataset (updated 2025‑09‑07).

Standings snapshot (after Italy)

  • Drivers’ top six: Oscar Piastri 324 (7 wins), Lando Norris 293 (5), Max Verstappen 230 (3), George Russell 194 (1), Charles Leclerc 163, Lewis Hamilton 117.
  • Constructors’ top four: McLaren 617, Ferrari 280, Mercedes 260, Red Bull Racing 242.

If you need a refresher on the basics before diving in, start here: F1 Points System Explained and F1 Standings Explained (2025): Drivers vs Constructors.

Street circuits: high‑stakes, high‑variance

Australia (Melbourne) — Norris strikes first, McLaren 1–3

Opening day on a street/temporary circuit is often a litmus test for race‑day handling over kerbs and traction zones. Lando Norris seized the early narrative with the win, Max Verstappen chased home, and George Russell began his steady campaign with P3. Oscar Piastri collected points from P9 — fine for Round 1, but a reminder that early street form didn’t yet mirror his eventual championship pace.

Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) — Piastri plants a flag

At Jeddah’s flat‑out sweep, Piastri executed perfectly to win ahead of Verstappen, with Charles Leclerc and Norris close behind. It was Oscar’s first big street statement of 2025: clean air management and tire life trumped desperation. In Constructors’ terms, dual McLaren top‑fours squeezed rivals early.

Miami — Control, convert, cash in

Miami rewarded straight‑line efficiency and restart execution. Piastri won again, with Norris P2 and Russell P3. The title signal: even on urban layouts, McLaren’s base car and execution window were broad enough for 1–2‑quality scoring. Verstappen’s P4 limited damage.

Monaco — Norris’s precision on the tightrope

Monaco is the archetypal street circuit in F1. Norris won with a lights‑to‑flag‑grade performance; Leclerc and Piastri completed the podium with Verstappen P4 and Hamilton P5. This was the weekend that proved Norris’s ceiling on street layouts — and yet, the year’s biggest swings would arrive later, away from the barriers.

Canada (Montreal) — The curveball

On Île Notre‑Dame’s temporary circuit, George Russell delivered Mercedes’ first win of 2025. Max Verstappen finished P2, with Piastri P4 and Leclerc P5. Crucially for the title optics, Norris left empty‑handed — a reminder that street events can compress margins and punish small setup windows. It didn’t decide the title, but it bent the arc toward Piastri by keeping Norris’s net below par on a day when the street reward was available.

Net street readout: McLaren remain the most reliable points manufacturer even in urban conditions, but the biggest upsets (Canada’s Russell win, Melbourne’s mixed orange haul) came here. As ever, street circuits amplify restarts, wall proximity and track‑position traps — great for highlights, dangerous for title math.

Traditional circuits: consistency becomes a weapon

Traditional venues tilt toward car pace plus precision execution. The title fight matured here.

Imola — Verstappen vetoes a McLaren max‑score

At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Verstappen won ahead of Norris and Piastri. It cut into McLaren’s rhythm and demonstrated Red Bull’s capacity to snipe heavy Sundays at classic tracks. For the Drivers’ Championship, these are the seven‑point flips that keep the arithmetic elastic.

Spain — Piastri makes a statement, Verstappen limited

Piastri won in Barcelona; Norris followed; Leclerc was P3. Verstappen salvaged a point for P10. As far as championship signals go, this was one of the clearer “pace and tire life” verdicts at a conventional venue — and a weekend where the points distribution favored Oscar the most.

Austria & Britain — Norris’s back‑to‑back hammer

Victories at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone underlined Norris’s elite form ceiling. Piastri ran P2 both times, minimizing the damage. When McLaren go 1–2 at traditional circuits, the Constructors’ lead balloons and the Drivers’ duel becomes an intra‑team efficiency contest.

Belgium & Hungary — Orange split‑decision

Spa went to Piastri, Hungary to Norris. The net was almost a wash across the pair, but the message stayed consistent: on conventional layouts, the McLaren duo harvest big points even when they trade wins. Title swing potential against the field was capped simply because both orange cars scored heavy.

Netherlands (Zandvoort) — The pivotal DNF

Piastri won; Verstappen took P2; George Russell grabbed P3. The sting was elsewhere: Norris retired late from a strong position. That single no‑score created a double‑digit swing across the Drivers’ table — the kind you feel for weeks. For the four‑step explainer on how one weekend inflates gaps, see: The Biggest Points Swings in the 2025 Season.

Italy (Monza) — Verstappen’s straight‑line redemption

Verstappen won at Monza, ahead of Norris and Piastri. It validated Red Bull’s low‑drag efficiency and reminded everyone that Max will keep extracting swing‑proof Sundays when the package aligns. It also tightened the Norris‑versus‑Piastri weekend delta — but not enough to erase the Zandvoort damage.

Where the 2025 title was really gained (so far)

  • Piastri’s edge = traditional‑track consistency: The largest slice of Oscar’s advantage comes from old‑school circuits where execution under full‑distance green‑flag running pays out. Repeated P1–P3 conversions at Barcelona, Spa, Hungaroring and Zandvoort built a cushion that street results merely protected.
  • Norris’s missed opportunities = Montreal + Zandvoort: Two weekends loom largest: a Montreal blank on a day of big opportunity, and the Zandvoort DNF at a traditional track. Everything else has been title‑grade — from the Monaco win to the British GP victory that electrified Silverstone.
  • Verstappen’s route back = Imola + Monza spikes: Max’s campaign features fewer maximums but high‑value wins at classic circuits. If Red Bull re‑opens the Monza‑style low‑drag window at upcoming venues, he remains the primary non‑McLaren disruptor.
  • Russell’s campaign = opportunistic accumulation: Canada’s win and a cluster of top‑fives on traditional tracks keep George firmly fourth. It’s not title‑deciding, but it’s constructors‑deciding if Mercedes keep blunting Ferrari on steady Sundays.
  • Leclerc and Ferrari = high floor, capped ceiling: Repeat top‑fours make Ferrari resilient on both circuit types. Without a win yet, the upside that flips title math hasn’t materialized — and McLaren’s two‑car scoring keeps stretching the Constructors’ gap.

For the underlying why, revisit our primer on consistency in championships. Championships are usually won by avoiding zeroes more than by chasing miracles.

Constructors’ lens: two scorers beat one superstar

The Constructors’ Championship picture after Italy reads: McLaren 617, Ferrari 280, Mercedes 260, Red Bull Racing 242. Two high‑scoring cars across both street and traditional circuits are the reason that gap looks lopsided. Even when a rival wins (Imola, Monza), a McLaren 2–3 or 1–3 turns the weekend into a net victory.

If you’re new to how the team title is tallied, here’s the deep dive: Constructors’ Championship points system. Also bookmark our F1 standings in shortened races explainer for weather/repair scenarios that can compress payouts.

What the next street rounds might change

Upcoming street events — Azerbaijan (Baku) and Singapore — plus Las Vegas later, tend to re‑introduce volatility: Safety Cars, restart drag races, and pit‑window traps. The lesson from 2025’s first half is simple: maximize floor, avoid zeroes, and don’t chase vanity strategies. With no fastest‑lap bonus since 2024, there’s little upside to dropping back for a late flyer.

Strategy primers worth a read before the night races: Sprint race points and our long view on fastest lap points history.

FAQs

Who leads the 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship right now?

Oscar Piastri (McLaren) leads on 324 points with seven wins, ahead of Lando Norris on 293 (five wins) and Max Verstappen on 230 (three wins).

Which type of circuit has favored the title leader?

Traditional circuits have done the heavy lifting for Piastri — repeated P1–P3 finishes at places like Barcelona, Spa, Hungaroring and Zandvoort built his lead. Street circuits have still been fruitful (wins at Jeddah and Miami), but the biggest net gains over rivals arrived on classic layouts.

How many points do you get for a Grand Prix win in 2025?

25 points for a win, then 18‑15‑12‑10‑8‑6‑4‑2‑1 down to P10. There is no fastest‑lap point since 2024.

Do street circuits produce bigger points swings?

Often, yes — because Safety Cars and track‑position dependency raise variance. In 2025, Canada delivered the standout urban swing (Russell win, Norris blank). The year’s single biggest swing, though, came at a traditional venue: Zandvoort, where Norris’s late DNF handed Piastri maximums.

How do Sprint points fit into the championship math?

Sprints (later in 2025) pay 8–7–6–5–4–3–2–1. They count toward both titles and can cushion a compromised Sunday. Details here: How F1 awards points in Sprint races.

Where can I learn the nuances of reduced points in shortened races?

Check our explainer on sliding scales and thresholds: How F1 standings work in shortened races.

Track every overtake’s impact on the title fights — live. RaceMate recalculates both the F1 Drivers’ Championship and the F1 Constructors’ Championship standings in real time as the laps tick down.