McLaren addresses potential Lando Norris-Oscar Piastri conflict in 2025

McLaren boss Andrea Stella has claimed that the team would start the 2025 F1 season with the same fundamental position of giving both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri equal opportunity and then evolve as the season. The Woking-based squad is in an interesting position where the team should have a car capable enough to fight for the title.

At the same time, the team has two drivers, Norris and Piastri, who perform at a very high level. McLaren has worked on the principle of giving both drivers equal opportunity in terms of support from the squad. While it helps McLaren in the Constructors championship, it can be a source of friction because both are technically rivals for the Drivers' championship.

In 2024, this did not cause much of an issue because Norris had, more or less a definitive edge over Piastri. Even then, McLaren did not take too long to back Norris in the title fight with Max Verstappen. This time, Piastri would be in his third F1 season and has a decent buffer in terms of knowledge of the sport.

One could expect the Australian to be a bigger challenge for Lando Norris at McLaren and even beat him more often. With the car expected to be a frontrunner, the duo might clash a lot more than in the past.

Addressing a potential clash between the two, Stella said that the team would continue to follow the foundational principle of giving them an equal opportunity. He said:

"The team is in a fortunate position, because we have two drivers who can both fight for victories and both have also proven that they can fight for championships if the car is good enough to be competitive. The main goal is that both drivers start the season with equal opportunities and our foundation is based on the principles that we maintained last season."

He added:

"We looked at all the situations in which the two gentlemen came together and I was actually quite impressed with their behavior. I am proud to say that when we evaluated last season, we always looked at ourselves. Lando talked about things that he could do better, instead of pointing a finger at Oscar and saying: 'Oh, he should have done that better', and vice versa."

McLaren's subtle warning to both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris

McLaren's boss also had a subtle warning for both drivers as he reiterated that the foundational principles within the team would remain the same going into 2024 and decisions always have to be made keeping those in mind. Stella said that if a driver doesn't agree with those principles, he might not be the right driver for the team anyway. He said:

"In terms of the interaction within the team, it's all been incredibly positive. Now we're going to start with a concept based on equal opportunities and principles. In terms of those principles, it's important to stress that they're representative of what we believe in as a team when we're racing, but also of the drivers' opinions. If a driver doesn't fully agree with those principles, he's simply not the right driver for McLaren."

The 2025 F1 season would be crucial for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri because once either of the two ends up setting a tone for the year, the partnership too would go in that direction.