Damon Hill warns of looming crisis within McLaren. According to a former world champion, McLaren will soon have to deal with an internal crisis..

Having such a strong car and a top-level driver line-up is not always easy to manage. And very soon, this could trigger a crisis within a McLaren team that has looked on another level in the early races of the season—despite Max Verstappen.

Yes, because while the Dutch driver continues to trouble the papaya duo with pole positions and wins, the feeling is that the number 1 at Red Bull can’t pull off miracles like the one in Suzuka at every race.

At the same time, Andrea Stella and Zak Brown will soon need to make a decision that could impact not only this championship, but also the future of the team. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have looked very close in terms of performance in the first three races of 2025, with the Australian’s error in Melbourne accounting for a gap that could have been much smaller. This will force the leadership of the British team to choose which driver to back in the title fight, potentially upsetting the internal balance.

Crisis incoming?
Speaking on the podcast “The Fast and the Curious,” Damon Hill discussed what might happen inside McLaren in the coming months. “McLaren has two extremely talented drivers, but they still need to mature mentally. To win a championship, you need strength in head-to-head battles, and they haven’t reached that level yet. Winning races is one thing; fighting for the title is another. You have to focus solely on that,” said the former world champion.

“Lando’s problem is that he has to compete not only with Max, but also with Oscar. And that could benefit Verstappen, since the two might end up interfering with each other. At some point, McLaren will have to decide who to back, and I’m not sure they know how to handle a situation like this. They’re trying to maintain balance within the team, but it’s impossible to keep two championship-contending drivers in check. Eventually, they’ll have to be clear and make them understand that the priority is not to gift points to rivals.”

“As a driver, you always put your career first—and teams don’t always grasp that. They don’t care which one of the two wins, but the drivers do. They want their name on that trophy,” Hill added.