The season is longer, but conversely the cars have never been more reliable. Back in the era of engines tuned to last for one race, mechanical DNFs were much more common.
This is a fair point! I do think Piastri has an extremely level head considering his experience. I thought he'd give Norris a harder run this year but next year we shall see.
I think next year there will be some fairly major driver shakeups ahead of 2026
As someone who doesn't watch or know much about f1, what's the significance of completing every lap in a season? Don't all drivers need to finish all laps?
No, if you get lapped by the leader, your race distance is effectively shortened by a lap. You don't drive for an additional lap to catch up, you just cross the finish line a lap down. Naturally if you crash out you won't be able to complete every lap either.
Basically completing every lap implies:
a reliable car, especially considering this year's calendar was longest ever