Formula 1 world champion Nigel Mansell has thrown his support behind fellow Briton Lando Norris in this year’s title race, tipping the McLaren driver to edge out his teammate Oscar Piastri in what he predicts will be a fierce, season-long duel.
Norris will head into next week’s Belgian Grand Prix riding high on the back of two consecutive victories – first in Austria, then at his home race at Silverstone.
The streak marks a crucial turning point in his season and has narrowed the gap to just eight points between himself and Piastri in the driver standings.
For Mansell, Norris's current purple patch signals more than just form – it suggests a champion in the making.
“I think they’re going to have a great head-to-head battle all year but I think Lando will probably come out on top,” the British F1 legend said in an interview with website Aceodds.
Norris’s rise has coincided with a suspension tweak to McLaren’s 2025 challenger – a change that hasn’t necessarily boosted outright pace, but one that appears to have given Norris better balance and feel behind the wheel. And in modern F1, that edge in confidence can be a deciding factor.
“Every time you win a race, you get more confidence and then you have to be very honest with yourself,” Mansell continued.
“Although you won the race, where could you have done better? And if you’re able to be honest with yourself even if you won the race, that you can improve, the next race you’ll improve again.”
He emphasized that McLaren’s current form – delivering identical machinery to both drivers – has created a truly fair and competitive environment.
“Now they’re so close in qualifying,” he added. “The team’s doing such a great job with supplying both drivers with exactly the same equipment and they are ahead of all the other teams. They don’t have to worry about anybody, that’s wonderful.”
Respect, Rivalry, and Redemption
The intra-team battle between Norris and Piastri has emerged as the defining storyline of the 2025 F1 season. Apart from a high-profile run-in last month in Canada, for which Norris took the blame, the two young stars have so far kept their rivalry clean and professional.
Mansell sees this as a reflection of the drivers' character and team culture.
“I don’t think the team harmony is a problem at all, because Zak is one of the coolest chiefs there is, and he is on top of it,” he said.
“If you are on top of something and you have already adapted to what is about to come around the corner, there are no surprises.”
“Both drivers know and you saw it in Austria as well when Oscar was warned not to run into Lando. They don’t want that manoeuvre seen again.”
Despite the occasional tension, Mansell believes the team dynamic will hold, thanks to mutual respect and shared values between the two racers.
“They are driving very well together and as much as there is this massive competitiveness between them, there is a healthy respect as well, and they both know that they can both win the championship,” he said.
“They want to do it honourably as well. The worst thing you can do is win a championship in a dishonourable fashion.”
Fine Margins and a Fierce Fight Ahead
Reflecting on Piastri’s recent struggles, including a time penalty at Silverstone, Mansell offered sympathy – but didn’t shy away from analyzing the impact on the title fight.
“Sadly Oscar screwed up, only a little bit and I sympathise with him but the regulations are the regulations,” Mansell said.
“I have to say Max overdid it a little bit. I think it didn’t help to bring the situation to the attention of the stewards but he was very unlucky to get a 10-second penalty.”
As F1 enters the final stretch, the battle between Norris and Piastri looks poised to go down to the wire. But for Mansell, it’s the driver with the momentum, maturity, and mindset who’s in pole position – and that, right now, is Lando Norris.
“Head-to-head, it’s very, very close, but at the moment, the momentum is with Lando. You come off two wins. Monaco's a great win, Silverstone’s a brilliant win.”
With confidence growing and form peaking at the right time, Norris is not just chasing his first world title — he’s chasing history. And if Mansell’s instincts are right, the next British F1 champion is sitting in the McLaren garage.
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