McLaren Given 'Gloves-Off' Plea In Oscar Piastri-Lando Norris Battle

The battle has been good-natured all season with no fallout even after incidents at the Canadian and Italian Grands Prix.

Norris hit the back of Piastri's car in Montreal yet a swift apology followed and the Australian was quick to play down the situation, though any issues were likely avoided by the fact he finished the race.

Then in Monza there was a mini controversy over team orders that allowed Norris to get back ahead of Piastri after a slow pitstop, though in the context of that race, where the Briton had given up the honor of stopping first so that his teammate could ensure Ferrari's Charles Leclerc couldn't perform an undercut, the situation was understood by all post-event.

But Norris' move at the start at the Marina Bay Circuit left Piastri puzzled, believing that the Papaya rules had been broken as contact sent him towards the outside retaining wall and he was even more frustrated when his complaints were not acted upon by his team.

With the gap between the pair now 22 points with six rounds remaining, Martin Brundle has suggested now is the time to fully unleash both drivers in his latest Sky Sports column.

"Piastri appealed to the team to sort that out given the 'no contact' rules between them, which they declined," wrote Brundle.

"It would have been a feisty post-race team debrief, and I have no doubt whatsoever that the dynamics between the two McLaren drivers will irrevocably change going forward. It was just a matter of time.

"Perhaps McLaren should now just let their two drivers duke it out, gloves off, between themselves with zero interference.

"Any nuclear fallout will be tempered by the need to finish races, score points, avoid FIA in-race penalties, avoid Verstappen catching the pair of them, and running out of the latest specification of parts as the team focuses on 2026."

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