Piastri aims to avoid the fate of Hamilton, Schumacher, and other great champions

Twelve rounds into the Formula 1 season, with twelve more to go, Oscar Piastri holds the championship lead.

The 24-year-old Australian took the top spot after his victory at the fifth round in Saudi Arabia back in April.

Statistically, this makes the McLaren driver the favorite for the world title.

Historically, in 56 of the 75 seasons (74.67%) contested, the driver leading at the halfway mark has gone on to win the championship.

Interestingly, the list of drivers who haven't converted a mid-season lead into a championship includes world champions Lewis Hamilton, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Niki Lauda, Jim Clark, Nico Rosberg, and Sebastian Vettel.

Hamilton and Prost have the most missed opportunities with four each.

Prost could have had eight titles if he had won in 1983, 1984, 1988, and 1990.

Hamilton's missed chances came in 2007, 2010, 2016, and most dramatically, 2021, when he lost to Max Verstappen on the final lap in Abu Dhabi.

Below is a list of all drivers who lost the title after leading at the halfway point:

1956 – Peter Collins, champion: Juan Manuel Fangio

1958 – Stirling Moss, champion: Mike Hawthorn

1960 – Bruce McLaren, champion: Jack Brabham

1964 – Jim Clark, champion: John Surtees

1976 – Niki Lauda, champion: James Hunt

1981 – Carlos Reutemann, champion: Nelson Piquet

1982 – John Watson, champion: Keke Rosberg

1983 – Alain Prost, champion: Nelson Piquet

1984 – Alain Prost, champion: Niki Lauda

1985 – Michele Alboreto, champion: Alain Prost

1988 – Alain Prost, champion: Ayrton Senna

1990 – Alain Prost, champion: Ayrton Senna

1997 – Michael Schumacher, champion: Jacques Villeneuve

2007 – Lewis Hamilton, champion: Kimi Räikkönen

2010 – Lewis Hamilton, champion: Sebastian Vettel

2012 – Fernando Alonso, champion: Sebastian Vettel

2014 – Nico Rosberg, champion: Lewis Hamilton

2016 – Lewis Hamilton, champion: Nico Rosberg

2017 – Sebastian Vettel, champion: Lewis Hamilton

2021 – Lewis Hamilton, champion: Max Verstappen

Piastri will certainly be looking to avoid joining this club and secure his first world title. Currently, the Australian leads his teammate Lando Norris by eight points and Verstappen, in third, by 69.

The next race on the F1 calendar is the Belgian Grand Prix, which takes place from Friday, 25 July to Sunday, 27 July 2025.

The Belgian Grand Prix will be held at the famous Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, located in the Ardennes forest in Belgium. 

The Belgian Grand Prix in 2025 will be a Sprint weekend.

That means the schedule is slightly different from a normal race weekend.

Here’s how it will look:

 Friday (25 July) Free Practice 1 (FP1): The only practice session of the weekend. Teams test their cars and collect data. Drivers use this time to get familiar with the track and try different racing lines. It also helps them understand how the tyres and car feel in different corners. 

Sprint Qualifying: This short qualifying session decides the grid for Saturday’s Sprint race. Drivers push hard to set the fastest lap times. A good result here can give them a better chance in the Sprint race. 

Saturday (26 July) Sprint Race: A short race (around 11 laps) with points awarded to the top finishers. It’s a chance for drivers to score extra points and for fans to enjoy more racing action. 

Grand Prix Qualifying: After the Sprint, drivers take part in normal qualifying. This session decides the starting order for Sunday’s main race. 

Sunday (27 July) Main Race (Belgian Grand Prix): The full Grand Prix takes place on Sunday afternoon. The race is about 44 laps at Spa. The winner gets 25 points, with points awarded down to 10th place.