Giancarlo Fisichella backs Lando Norris for Drivers’ title win

Max Verstappen made it two wins in a row as he followed up his Italian GP win with a first place finish in Baku this past weekend. Despite struggling against McLaren for most of this season, the Dutch driver and Red Bull have strung together a solid run. The Drivers’ title, however, remains a distant dream as the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are still ahead by a decent margin.

We recently discussed Verstappen’s performance, as well as the current season, with former F1 star Giancarlo Fisichella. The Italian ace also gave his pick for the Drivers’ title, the rookies that have impressed him and also gave his thoughts on the increase in street races.

Max and Red Bull’s resurgence will make the season more interesting

McLaren have dominated proceedings in 2025 and it’d be a miracle if they don’t bag the Constructors and Drivers’ titles. Meanwhile, Red Bull’s performance in the last couple of races has surprised Fisichella, who predicts an interesting end to the season.

“Considering the last couple of races, Verstappen was dominating in racing and qualifying sessions. No one expected that big jump from Red Bull.”

“Tsunoda scored a good result too. Red Bull are going the right way and found a good package in terms of car balance and setup, which is very fixed for Max’s driving style. It will be an interesting end to the season.”

While Verstappen’s performance has still been around podium positions, Carlos Sainz has struggled in a new car, having moved to Williams this season. The Spaniard getting a podium was even more of a surprise, and Fisichella praised his tenacity and improvement.

“Carlos is a great driver. He’s doing a great job. He’s getting better race after race. The Williams car was competitive in Baku. Starting from the first three or four positions is 50% of the race. It’s better for the tyres and more consistent for the drivers. It’s why he scored a good result. I don’t think it will be easy for him to score more podiums but he can be in the top ten for the next couple of races.”

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The tense title race

Speaking about the World Drivers’ title, the former Renault and Ferrari driver wants to see Lando Norris upstage his teammate. Fisichella’s reasoning behind it is that Norris won’t get many opportunities to win the title while Piastri can go on to win multiple titles in the future.

"It's so close. The first part of the championship, until the last race, was tight. Lando Norris was a bit up and down. Piastri was more consistent with the race pace in qualifying, and his race management was top notch."

"Baku was probably the first time I saw Piastri under pressure. Made mistakes in the qualifying session, in free practice and especially in the race, starting from the jumpstart and then in the first lap he hit the wall."

"It's difficult. Piastri at the moment, has more points. Both of them are good drivers, so it's difficult to call."

"I would say Norris because he's more experienced than Piastri. It's important for him to grab that chance this year. For Piastri, I'm sure he can win multiple titles in the future. I would say Norris."

I’m rooting for Antonelli and Bortoleto

When asked about the drivers that have impressed him the most, Fisichella named three rookies - Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoleto.

Fisichella believes his compatriot will get stronger as the season goes on and praises him for overturning a bad spell of form that had plagued him. He goes on to claim that Antonelli has the talent to be a World Champion in the future.

“Verstappen always gives you the maximum performance from his car but there are some rookies like Hadjar and Antonelli.

“At the start of the season Antonelli was doing well, then he had a few problems, but in the last race he did very well.”

“I am Italian and I root for Antonelli.”

“Antonelli is a good guy and he’s quick. He’s just 18. He’s got all the skills to be a world champion.”

“Hadjar is doing very well. He has a competitive car and has a very consistent team. His teammate Liam Lawson also did very well in Baku.”

Fisichella also shared his assessment of Gabriel Bortoleto, showering praise on him for performing better than his teammate Nico Hulkenberg.

"Bortoleto really impressed me in F2 and F3."

"I was a little surprised to see him struggle at the beginning of the season. But now after a few races, he's quicker than Nico Hulkenberg. He's one of my favourite drivers on the grid."

In my opinion, there are too many races

The F1 season now consists of 24 races, and Liberty Media are still looking to increase the number in the future. Max Verstappen is the most high-profile name who has publicly spoken out against adding more races in what he believes is a stacked calendar.

Fisichella echoes Verstappen’s thoughts and thinks that they’re already over the limit with 24 races. While the current grid is not doing midweek tests like they used to, Fisichella feels the calendar should be limited to 20 races.

"I think we are really on the limit when it comes to the number of races. I think 24 is a bit over the limit. For me, the right number is 20."

"But considering there are no tests anymore, from the first race to the last, this is not too bad."

"I remember when I was racing, we had about 18 races. Every week we were testing for two to three days in different circuits around Europe. That was tough."

"I still feel 24 races are a bit too much."

Street races should also be limited to four per year

With F1 becoming more and more popular, street races have also become more common. Eight of the 24 races in the current calendar are on streets, and Fisichella says that the optimal number is half of that. Next season will see another one join the list with the Madrid Grand Prix being held on the streets of the Spanish capital.

In his view, purpose-built tracks offer better racing, and F1 should continue doing that.

"Obviously, a real track is always a real track. Street circuits are a bit different."

"In some places, it's nice to have street races. Monaco, even if in the last two to three years, with the big cars making it boring to watch. But in the past, it was more interesting."

"Street circuits like Miami, Baku and probably Madrid, they are okay."

"But not more than what we already have. Because then you'll lose the great racing you get at a real circuit."

"Three-four street races, it's okay. But not more."

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