A fierce internal rivalry is threatening McLaren’s Formula 1 title campaign, as suspicion mounts that the team’s celebrated “let them race” ethos is quietly favouring Lando Norris over Drivers’ Championship leader Oscar Piastri.
With only six races remaining, Piastri holds a crucial 22-point advantage over his teammate.
However, a pattern of close calls and strategic swings, often breaking in Norris’s favour—has fueled the controversy.
The latest flashpoint occurred in Singapore, where Norris’s aggressive first-lap contact with Piastri went unpunished by the pit wall.
Team Principal Andrea Stella attributed the contact to an earlier tap on Max Verstappen, but Piastri’s radio tone betrayed deep frustration.
The perception of bias is built on recurring incidents, not explicit team orders.
Key Safety Car timings (Imola) and one-stop masterstrokes (Hungary) have benefited Norris, while Piastri has been hampered.
In Monza, after Piastri inherited track position due to Norris’s slow pit stop, the team ordered the Australian to swap back, citing fairness after the mechanical fault.
Norris has made contact with Piastri twice this year (Canada and Singapore), while Piastri has avoided touching his teammate. The lack of a public rebuke for Norris after the Singapore incident stands in stark contrast to previous radio nudges aimed at Piastri for less severe track infractions.
While McLaren argues it maintains equal opportunity, the messy bits of the season have consistently swung the momentum toward the Briton.
