McLaren's awkward reality exposed by four telling words as F1 driver landscape laid bare

Several storylines have emerged from the first four races of the F1 season.

Does Oscar Piastri have Lando Norris' measure? Is Max Verstappen on his way out of Red Bull? What on earth happened to Liam Lawson, wasn't he supposed to be good? And why is Lewis Hamilton still sulking even though he's being paid a squillion dollars to drive for Ferrari?

Wide World of Sports has sat down and done a deep dive on the state of play from the first month of the F1 season.

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McLAREN

The Papaya team knew heading into the season they had the best car, and it wasn't even close.

They dominated Australia, China and Bahrain, and only Max Verstappen at his very best - and some tiny errors in qualifying - dammed the flooding Papaya river in Japan.

But who has the ascendency between its two drivers might have caught the team by surprise.

McLaren has been building around Lando Norris for the past four seasons. When Daniel Ricciardo was struggling, Norris was fighting up the pointy end.

But now, with a car capable of winning the championship, cracks have emerged in the Brit's psyche and Oscar Piastri has emerged as the man most likely to get the job done.

McLaren hasn't won a drivers' title since Lewis Hamilton in 2008, and an Australian hasn't been champion since Alan Jones in 1980.

In Bahrain, Piastri delivered the most complete weekend of his short F1 career. He was without doubt the quicker driver of the two all weekend. He duly took pole, effectively led every lap, set the fastest lap, and won the race. It was a performance reminiscent of Alain Prost.

While Norris has admitted he's struggling with the balance of his McLaren, Piastri is clearly not.

As it stands, the championship is Piastri's to lose, and there was a telling moment in the Bahrain cooldown room that suggests the 24-year-old Aussie is in Norris' head.

As footage of Norris battling early in the race played on the screen, microphones caught the Brit asking "who's that". Piastri's reply was blunt and quick.

"What do you mean 'who's that', that's you?"

Taken aback, Norris responded: "All right, mate. Jesus. Sorry, because you're so far ahead."

The moment was lighthearted, but gives a glimpse of the rivalry that's more than brewing inside the McLaren garage.

Norris still leads the title, but only just, and it might've been a different story if not for Melbourne's famously fickle weather.

Piastri was the faster driver in the middle part of the race at Albert Park, and was just plain unlucky to have not gathered the car up when he and Norris both slid off the road with 13 laps to go.

The home hero went off virtually in Norris' wheel tracks, and once you're on the wet and slippery grass, your fate is more or less in the hands of the racing gods. On that Sunday, they smiled on Norris and flipped Piastri the bird.

In China, Norris probably had the raw speed, but the ice cool Aussie got the job done when it mattered in qualifying, which set him up to dominate the race.

In Japan, Piastri might've been on pole had it not been for a tiny wobble that lost him less than a tenth of a second at the second corner. He started and finished third. Given how the race panned out, it's difficult to see how he wouldn't have joined the exclusive club of drivers to have won a race on their birthday.

That said, McLaren's dominance has come by virtue of a collapse of another F1 dynasty. - DM

RED BULL

The atrocious handling of the driver line-up between the two teams speaks volumes of the internal power struggles that could effectively force Max Verstappen out of the team.

The Dutchman is unhappy. Not only in the lackluster performance of the car – although he still managed to drive it to victory in Japan – but he was also put offside by Lawson's brutal axing.

The scandal involving Christian Horner and a female staffer last year was the catalyst of a feud between Horner, Jos Verstappen and Helmut Marko that went right to the top of Red Bull GmbH.

Basically, Marko and the Austrian ownership group of the company wanted Horner out. But the Thai base, with a 51 per cent majority, wanted Horner. He stayed.

But the decision split the factory into two factions - Horner loyalists, and those who wanted him gone.

Aero guru Adrian Newey was among several key personnel to leave the team.

That feud hampered the development of this year's car, which has proven to be a temperamental beast. While Verstappen has been able to tame it somewhat, neither driver in the other car has.

In Bahrain, Red Bull's performance deficit was on full display. After the race, Verstappen's manager was photographed in a heated discussion with Marko. It only fueled rumours of a performance clause in his contract that would allow him to leave the team if he drops out of the top-three in the drivers' standings. 

There are some reports the clause could be triggered immediately should he fall out of the top three, while others have it if he's fourth or lower at the mid-season summer break. 

Even Marko himself said he held "great concerns" about Verstappen's future in the team.

"Improvements have to come in the near future so that he has a car with which he can win again," he told Sky Sports Germany.

Either way, they're a team in turmoil. The stranglehold they had on the sport only two seasons ago long gone – wrapped up in a box with a pretty little bow, hand-delivered to McLaren. - SW

RACING BULLS

In the paddock in Melbourne, there was a buzz about Liam Lawson's arrival at Red Bull.

Nobody was expecting him to beat Verstappen, but there was the sense he'd at least be there or thereabouts, fighting among the top five.

We all know what happened next. And then it happened again in China. 

Perhaps that buzz was the sound of a thousand moths sent from the opened cupboard of Red Bull rejects to collect its next victim.

Booted back to Racing Bulls, Lawson was beaten by Isack Hadjar in Japan, and again in Bahrain. The Kiwi is in desperate need of a good result.

It's hard to put all the blame on him. He was the most inexperienced driver to be promoted into the senior team via the junior team. By contrast, Yuki Tsunoda was the most experienced to ever be promoted into the senior team.

Tsunoda should've been the man all along. Instead, they threw him into the team ahead of his home race – where pressure is already heightened – without ever having driven the car.

But at least at Racing Bulls, Lawson will have time to rebuild his confidence, his season, hell maybe even his career, away from the intense spotlight of the senior team.

Meanwhile, Hadjar's early success has proven he's more than worthy of his spot on the grid. His formation lap error in Melbourne aside, he's proven he's got the speed and once his racecraft gets up to scratch, he'll be a regular contender for points. - DM

FERRARI

In the Bahrain paddock, former driver turned Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle lamented a return of the 'Sad Lewis' fans became accustomed to seeing at the end of his Mercedes tenure.

In Melbourne, Hamilton looked bubbly, buoyant. He was smiling in the media pen and looked excited for the year to come.

In Bahrain though, the race was his best result of the season and the team's best performance as a whole. But he was still downcast.

He told media after the race the upgrades the team had brought to Bahrain had made the car better, but it was his driving that was lacking. Of even more concern, he's at a loss to explain why.

"I'm just not doing a good enough job on my side so I've just got to keep improving," he said, per PlanetF1.com. "It's definitely not a good feeling, for sure."

"I really don't know [how to improve]. I don't have a lot of answers for you guys, I just wasn't quick today ... the car has improved, it's just my driving."

This season marks the first in his near two-decade F1 career the seven-time world champion has raced a car powered by anything other than a Mercedes engine. That in itself is a significant change – it feels different, delivers its power differently, and requires subtle tweaks to his driving style

Add to that he's working with a new race engineer after working with the same one for his entire Mercedes career. His arrival at Ferrari is a monumental shift.

"At the moment, I would say it's troubled times," Brundle said.

Aside from a surprise pole and victory in the China sprint race, Hamilton has been dominated by his teammate, Charles Leclerc. Even in the grand prix the following day, Leclerc was the quicker of the two drivers even with significant front wing damage.

Hamilton's move to Ferrari was one of the biggest moves in sporting history and came with much fanfare and histrionics from the Tifosi and the Italian media.

He's on at least a two-year deal, but if the 40-year-old doesn't turn his performances around, he might have to face reality. Father Time comes for everyone. His time might be now. - DM

ALPINE

Much of the noise around Alpine has been around Jack Doohan's seat amid pressure from the signing of reserve driver Franco Colapinto.

In Melbourne, it was widely reported Doohan had between three and five races to show his worth or be shown the door. 

But despite an opening lap crash in Melbourne and a massive practice crash in Japan, the Gold Coaster's spot has been backed by team principal Oliver Oakes, declaring he's 'safe' until at least mid-season.

Doohan moved up four spots to finish 15th at Suzuka effectively on one arm. He had to be helped from his car after the race. 

A week later, he missed out on a spot in Q3 in Bahrain by only two one-hundredths of a second.

In the race, he had a chance to score points before the timing of the safety car put him on the back foot as rivals lined up behind him on fresher tyres.

The team is pleased with the early season pace but need Doohan to make less rookie errors, like his FP2 crash in China, to keep him in negotiations.

His teammate Pierre Gasly has started the season with pace and reliability for Alpine, taking a seventh place finish last weekend in Bahrain which collected the Frenchman six points to start his charge. - SW

MERCEDES

Mercedes has emerged as the best of the rest behind McLaren in the early part of 2025.

George Russell has come of age as the senior driver and finished on the podium for three of the four grands prix. Kimi Antonelli has also excelled in his first races. His fourth place in Melbourne in particular was sensational.

After a trying few years, the Silver Arrows were regular contenders for race wins by the end of last year, and look as if they've carried that form into 2025.

Russell looked comfortable battling Norris to keep second in the closing laps in Bahrain, while Antonelli was undone by the timing of the safety car.

There are promising signs for the tri-star, but it remains to be seen whether or not they can make an impression into McLaren's early season advantage. - DM

ASTON MARTIN

As reported earlier in the season by Wide World of Sports, this season will be a learning and bridging campaign for Aston Martin. 

The team haven't been anywhere near contention to fight with rivals and with the announcement of former Red Bull aero wizard Adrien Newey joining the Silverstone-based team on March 3, he will have little input on the 2025 challenger. 

Instead, Aston Martin will be throwing all their input into next years' car, with the new FIA technical regulations set to shake up the F1 playing field, this will be the season for Aston to capitalise on the genius behind the production of their car and hope to see resounding results. 

But for now, drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will have to put up with results such as 15th and 17th in Bahrain, down at the back of the grid until the car is able to challenge for points. - SW

HAAS 

Sitting fifth in the constructors and the 'best of the rest' behind the big four teams, Haas has been the surprise of the season. 

The only American team on the grid – at least until Cadillac joins next year – bounced back from a disastrous Melbourne weekend with a double-points finish in China. They backed it up with another in Bahrain.

Rookie Oliver Bearman has been the standout from the team, being able to compete and challenge early in his first full season debut in F1. 

Continuing on this charge, Bearman has finished in the final points position in the next two races and solidified his place in F1. 

Ocon had a huge shunt in Qualifying in Bahrain, bringing out the red flags but was able to regroup and finish in eighth to continue his consistent pace. 

Announcing themselves as best of the rest for 2025, they sit strong in fifth and highlight that consistency in the midfield can work wonders. - SW

WILLIAMS

For the 2025 season, Williams have come out the gate early with renewed vigour for their charge to contend with the field, the team currently only one point off Haas in the constructors and hot on their heels to take the title of 'best of the rest'. 

Veteran Alex Albon has led the challenge, firmly placing himself as leader of the team by scoring points in the first three race weekends of the year. 

Newly introduced Carlos Sainz has been getting stronger each race, but is still looking to find his way in a Mercedes-powered car that is fundamentally different to the Ferrari.

He looked set for the best result of the season in Bahrain, before Yuki Tsunoda crashed into the sidepod leaving a gaping hole. It eventually forced him out of the race.

"Yuki sent a big one down the inside … then he lost the rear and touched me. "[It's a] bit of a shame," Sainz said.

Albon's best finish was at the season-opener in Australia where he drove to fifth. 

Williams remains a team on the up, and could still score a shock podium at some point this year. - SW

SAUBER

The less said the better about Sauber.

Nico Hulkenberg reminded the grid in Melbourne he would've been more than deserving of a seat in a top team in his peak with a stunning drive to seventh.

But that aside, the cars are slow. They've battled for speed in qualifying, and tyre life in the grands prix has been less than stellar.

Sauber will morph into the factory Audi team in 2026 and there is the sense the team is just waiting on next year. - DM