After 17 rounds, just 69 points separate the top three drivers in the Formula 1 standings and following a commanding win from Max Verstappen in Baku, the possibility of a real championship fight is hotting up.
For Verstappen, Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri to win this year’s title, they’ll need to minimise mistakes and hope for bulletproof reliability to get a leg up on the competition. But none of the three drivers has managed to avoid regrets so far this year.
All three racers have had off weekends since the start of the 2025 season, which has led to the championship lead swapping, points gaps growing and advantages dwindling as the F1 season has progressed.
With this in mind, we uncover the off weekends each of the three championship leaders has had, and calculate just how many points each has thrown away through mistakes on track, reliability issues or moments of madness in the heat of competition.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photo by: Jayce Illman / Getty Images
Points scored: 324
Points lost: 48
Australian racer Oscar Piastri had his first major setback of 2025 at his home race in Melbourne. In changing conditions, he spun off onto the grass, which saw him tumble from second to ninth and resulted in a possible loss of 16 points.
In round three in Japan, the McLaren driver was caught out by team orders – or a lack thereof. Piastri was running in third with more pace than team-mate Norris, but McLaren elected not to let the pair swap to see if Piastri could chase down a flying Verstappen. He ended the race in third – costing him at least three championship points.
His next blunder came at Imola, where Piastri lost the lead on lap one and never claimed it back, costing him 10 points, and his tally took a further seven-point hit at Silverstone when he was handed a 10-second time penalty for erratic driving behind the safety car – forcing him to settle for second place instead of first.
The young Aussie was once again caught out by his team’s calls in Hungary, where he was forced to make a two-stop strategy work, which on paper should have been quicker. It wasn’t and he was passed by his team-mate for the lead, losing another seven possible points. It was a similar story at Monza, but this time Piastri was ordered to let Norris past following a slow stop for the Brit. This meant he finished the race in third instead of second.
Finally, at the last race in Baku, the points lost were all Piastri’s fault, as he crashed in qualifying and lined up ninth. He then crashed on the opening lap of the grand prix, losing him at least the two points he would have collected for ninth in the race.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
Points scored: 299
Points lost: 60
Norris had a dominant opening race in Australia, but his form began to unravel in China, where a mistake off the line in the sprint lost him two championship points. At the next round, he had a similarly poor opening at the Bahrain GP, starting out of his grid box and picking up a five-second penalty that effectively dropped him from second to third and lost him three points.
In Saudi Arabia, things got even worse and after besting his team-mate in Q1 and Q2, Norris crashed in Q3 and lined up 10th for the race. Ultimately, he finished in fourth but could have done much better if not for his Saturday snafu that, arguably, lost him 13 championship points that he should have picked up for the win.
Another startline blunder in Miami saw Norris drop from second to sixth. Since Piastri in third ultimately challenged Verstappen for the win, it could be argued that the Brit should have challenged for victory without his poor start – meaning another seven points were lost. Things took another dive in Canada, where Norris was running in fifth before a crash with his team-mate ended his race and cost him 10 points.
After taking pole in Belgium, Norris again faltered off the line and lost out to Piastri, who took the lead of the race. A slow stop exacerbated his issues, and he finished second and lost out on another seven points.
While he might have hoped for a change in fortunes following F1’s summer break, Norris again struggled off the line at Zandvoort and lost second place to Verstappen. He ultimately fought back and re-took the position, but his car had other ideas and an oil leak ended his race, costing him the 18 vital points he would have clinched for second place.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
Points scored: 255
Points lost: 27
If Norris has seemingly lost the majority of his world championship points due to startline blunders, Verstappen has lost his due to in-race penalties.
The Dutchman picked up his first penalty of the year in Saudi Arabia, where he went wide at Turn 2 and gained an advantage off track. Stewards handed him a five-second penalty after he failed to give the place back, which cost him first place and seven points.
In Miami, it was a team mishap that cost Verstappen five points, as he was released from the pits in an unsafe manner during the sprint. The Dutchman collided with the Mercedes of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and stewards hit him with a 10-second penalty that dropped him from fourth to 17th.
In Spain, Verstappen clashed with another Mercedes, this time that of George Russell. The contentious clash saw the Dutchman collide with the Brit shortly after he was asked to give a place back to Russell following an off-track overtake. Verstappen momentarily gave the place back, before appearing to sideswipe Russell, which earned him a 10-second penalty that dropped him from fifth to 10th – a nine-point loss.
Finally, another incident with a Mercedes cost Verstappen six points when he was taken out by Antonelli in the opening lap of the Austrian Grand Prix. Verstappen started in seventh and only made it around a handful of corners before he was out of the race, losing more critical championship points.
