Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, McLaren, Saudi Arabia, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari replacement could come from McLaren

A McLaren star is reportedly eyeing up a F1 switch

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 10 October 2025 21:12

According to reports in the German media a McLaren F1 star could be eyeing a shock switch to Ferrari.

Both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are locked in a battle for the 2025 world drivers' title, with the tension between the pair ramping up at the Singapore Grand Prix last time out.

McLaren claimed constructors' championship success for the second year running in Singapore, but it was a lap one battle between Piastri and Norris that really caught the eye, with Piastri accusing the Brit of 'barging' him out of the way, and claiming that it was 'unfair' that McLaren would not swap the two drivers' positions.

As a result, Norris finished third and Piastri fourth, meaning that the Australian is just 22 points ahead of Norris with six race weekends remaining.

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The battle for this year's championship has an added intrigue to it with 2025 being the final year of the current ruleset, with new regulations set to sweep into the sport from 2026, potentially meaning a shake up of the competitive order in F1.

And that means that this may well be the only year that McLaren experience such dominance over their competitors, making it vital for Piastri and Norris as they chase a maiden title.

These reports come despite the fact that Piastri has recently signed a new contract at McLaren that will keep him there until the end of the 2028 season, but there could be release clauses in that contract based on the team's 2026 performance, as is believed to be the case for Charles Leclerc at Ferrari and Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

Who will win the championship?

While the focus has been on Piastri and Norris for the 2025 title, the championship fight may well have turned into a three-horse race in the last few weeks.

Verstappen has won two of the last three races, and finished second at both the Dutch and Singapore grands prix.

It means that he has now moved to within 63 points of Piastri, and 41 of Norris. With four world championships already to his name, and driving an RB21 that seems to be getting stronger as the season progresses, the Dutchman will feel like he is still in with a chance.

Current championship leader Piastri will need to bounce back strongly at the upcoming United States GP, to stave off the threat of both Norris and Verstappen in the standings.