McLaren Clears Stance on Oscar Piastri vs. Lando Norris Debate for F1 Championship

Fans and pundits alike are wondering: Will McLaren eventually back one driver over the other in the fight for the championship?

McLaren Team Principal Answers The Burning Question

Team principal Andrea Stella made it clear that McLaren will not favor one driver over the other until it's mathematically necessary.

“When it comes to having to make a call as to a driver, this will only be led by mathematics,” Stella said to SkySports F1.

He added, “We talked before about the experience and leaning on the experience, I can recall at least 2007 and 2010, in which you go to the last race and it's actually the third driver that wins the championship."

His reference points to how both Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 and Sebastian Vettel in 2010 seized the title in final-race surprises.

“We’re not going to close the door unless this is closed by mathematics," concluded the McLaren team principal, further emphasizing their decision criteria.

No Major Upgrades Coming for McLaren

Stella also clarified that McLaren is focused on extracting maximum performance from the existing package, confident that both drivers have what it takes to fight until the final rounds.

Looking forward to the upcoming Mexico City Grand Prix, he said, “When it comes to new upgrades, new parts, then this will not happen for the rest of the season.”

Meanwhile, their rival Red Bull Racing teases a new upgrade for the final stretch of the 2025 F1 season. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko suggested, "We still have something up our sleeve," in his interview with Austrian publication Oe24 after the US GP in Austin's COTA.

"I don’t know exactly when it will come," said Marko about when to expect the latest upgrade in action.

Stella Admits Drivers Could Have Done Better

In the same interview with SkySports F1, Stella also admitted that both Norris and Piastri missed a few opportunities earlier in the season.

"I think they recognise themselves that they could have done a better job at some of the previous races. We look at the next five races as opportunities to increase the gap to Max," said the McLaren team principal.

Predicting the Drivers' Championships, the 54-year-old stated, "Definitely, we have a large opportunity and the outcome of this season and the Drivers' Championship is in our hands, it's not in someone else's hands. That's the mindset that we want to have and will have."

With five races left, McLaren’s internal rivalry remains open and respectful. Stella’s message is simple: the team will let both drivers compete freely until the championship math says otherwise.

In conclusion, there are no favourites yet, only focus. And as F1 history shows, titles can be decided by the smallest of margins.