Lando Norris ready to recreate Vettel-Webber’s scandalous ‘Multi-21’ maneuver as he jokes about beating Piastri for the F1 title

McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are creating headlines on and off the track. After the Chinese Grand Prix, the Papaya drivers joked about potentially replicating past Formula 1 controversies in their fight for the championship.

Norris won the first race of the 2025 season in Melbourne while Piastri won the race in Shanghai. This has created a buzz in the racing community about a possible rivalry between the MCL60 drivers. After the Chinese Grand Prix, both drivers were in the post-race press conference, alongside Mercedes ace George Russell.

When asked about the possibility of a championship between the two McLaren drivers Norris acknowledged the challenge as Piastri whispered referencing the turbulent 2007 season for Mclaren. Norris agreed with the 23-year-old and responded:

"You wait until he has a pit stop behind me and we're not going to try to drive out. Yeah, I would have a little multi-22 or something."

Lando Norris brought up the infamous Red Bull Multi-21 incident between Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber as both broke into laughter. Their early season success has made McLaren a formidable challenger and internal competition becomes inevitable, believes the McLaren #4.

Norris mentioned the 2013 Malaysia Grand Prix incident when Sebastian Vettel was told to maintain his position behind Red Bull teammate, Mark Webber. This message on radio was coded a 'Multi Map 2-1' meaning Webber the Red Bull #2 should finish ahead of Vettel the Red Bull #1. Vettel ignored the directive and made a risky move on Webber to secure a win.

This incident soured the relationships between the Red Bull racers as Webber accused Vettel of prioritizing personal ambition over the team's interests.

Lando Norris' teammate recalls 2007 McLaren rivalry

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the pit during qualifying in Melbourne.- Source: Getty

Before Lando Norris talked about not giving space to teammate Oscar Piastri during a pit stop, the #81 reminded him of the 2007 rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. While there is no sign of any such bitterness between the current Papaya drivers, things were not quite the same 18 years ago.

Hamilton was a rookie in 2007 who challenged the two-time defending champion, Alonso. As the two drivers battled for supremacy, the rivalry reached its peak at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton ignored a team order to let Alonso pass him in Q3. Alonso in return blocked Hamilton deliberately by staying in his pit box. This prevented the Briton from completing the final qualifying lap.

As a result, Alonso started the race in the pole position, and Hamilton beside him at second. Hamilton had the last laugh winning the 2007 Hungarian GP and taking a seven-point lead on the former champion. However, both drivers failed to win the championship that year as Kimi Räikkönen took it home narrowly.

While Norris and Piastri's light-hearted fun shows their camaraderie, the prospect of an escalating rivalry remains to be seen. As McLaren rises to championship contention, the dynamic between its drivers will be a narrative to watch closely.