BREAKING : F1’s European Season Wraps Up with a New “Champion” CROWNED… Read more
F1’s European Season Wraps Up with a New “Champion” Crowned
With the curtain falling on Formula 1’s European leg after the Italian Grand Prix, the battle for the 2025 world championship remains thrillingly close. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri continues to hold the upper hand, but his team-mate Lando Norris is keeping the pressure on as the calendar heads toward its final eight rounds.
At Monza, Norris finished just ahead of the Australian, trimming Piastri’s lead in the overall standings to 31 points. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen may feel encouraged after his victory at the iconic Italian track, but with the points gap still substantial, it increasingly looks like the title fight is set to be an all-McLaren duel. From the Azerbaijan Grand Prix onwards, every race will count as the season builds toward its climax.
While the championship picture is still wide open, one chapter of the campaign is now complete: the European season. Beginning in May at Imola and concluding in September back in Italy at Monza, Europe hosted a string of eight races — including classics like Silverstone, Zandvoort, and Spa-Francorchamps. Though F1 does not formally award a “European Championship,” it’s an intriguing exercise to calculate who would take the crown based solely on results from these rounds.
When the unofficial points were tallied, it was Piastri who emerged as Europe’s top scorer. The Australian edged Norris by the slimmest of margins — just three points separated the pair. Crucially, Norris’ costly collision with Piastri during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend dented his tally, with the DNF at Zandvoort further hurting his cause. Without those setbacks, the Briton might well have claimed the unofficial title himself.
The order behind them closely mirrors the official drivers’ standings. Verstappen slots into third, while Mercedes’ George Russell narrowly edges Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in their own private battle. Lewis Hamilton remains in sixth place overall, reflecting his steady form through the European stretch.
One of the more surprising stories comes from within the Mercedes camp. Rookie Kimi Antonelli, who sits a respectable eighth in the overall championship on 66 points, endured a nightmare run on European soil. Across all eight races, he collected just three points — a stark contrast to his stronger performances outside the continent. To put this in perspective, only Franco Colapinto fared worse, failing to score a single point in Europe. Antonelli’s tally also matches Yuki Tsunoda’s, whose underwhelming season at Red Bull has placed him under considerable scrutiny.
The European leg of the season highlighted both consistency and missed opportunities. Piastri’s ability to steadily rack up points has made the difference in both the world championship and the “European standings,” while Norris’ missteps proved costly despite often matching his team-mate for pace. Verstappen’s flashes of brilliance — including his Monza triumph — weren’t enough to overhaul the McLaren duo, but they showed he remains a force whenever the opportunity arises.
Now, with the European rounds completed, the grid turns its attention to a run of global races, beginning in Baku. Eight grands prix remain to decide the world championship, and the pressure on McLaren’s two title contenders is set to intensify. For Piastri, the task is to maintain composure under relentless pressure, while Norris will be desperate to capitalize on any mistake to swing momentum in his favor.
The European crown may be unofficial, but it underscores the razor-thin margins separating the frontrunners. If the rest of 2025 mirrors the continent’s drama, fans can expect one of the tightest and most compelling title fights in recent F1 history.
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