McLaren secured its seventh double podium finish of the 2025 Formula 1 season in Hungary, marking the team’s fourth consecutive 1-2 finish. The numbers speak for themselves. There is no other team on the grid at the level of the Woking-based outfit this year. The Constructors’ Championship is practically in their hands. The only remaining question concerns the fight for the Drivers’ Championship. Who will ultimately win the title between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris?
During yesterday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the battle between the two teammates lasted only a handful of laps towards the end of the race. The Australian driver had just enough time to launch two overtaking attempts before immediately pulling back his efforts once he realized he could not pass Lando Norris—unless his teammate made a mistake.
McLaren opposes Oscar Piastri’s request
It’s truly a pity, because things could have unfolded very differently if McLaren had supported the reigning Drivers’ Championship leader, Oscar Piastri, in his requests. During the second stint, when it became clear that Norris—despite running fourth—had become the favorite for the race victory by opting for a one-stop strategy, Piastri asked the team to put him on the same strategy so he could try to defend his better position on track.
Oscar’s request came around lap 38. The pit wall hesitated. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc, who had been leading the race up to that point, came into the pits on lap 41. Piastri found himself in front of the pack and insisted on making a single pit stop, but on lap 46 he was called in and forced to switch to a two-stop strategy, effectively taking away his freedom to race as he wished. Just before his pit stop, the Drivers’ Championship leader was leading the race with an 8-second margin over his teammate, who was gaining approximately 1.5 seconds per lap on average thanks to fresher Hard tires. According to Kimi Antonelli’s data, Piastri would have needed to complete 52 laps on the white-marked C3 tires; in comparison, Esteban Ocon finished with a single stop covering 48 laps on the Hard compound, while Pierre Gasly did 55 laps.
The path was feasible. Would Piastri have won? Would Norris have overtaken him easily? Would McLaren have risked losing the 1-2 finish? None of these questions matter here.
What matters is that the papaya team prevented Oscar Piastri from pursuing his own race strategy, forcing him to do something he did not want to do. In the context of a championship where the team is not yet mathematically certain to win the Constructors’ title, this would have been a perfectly appropriate decision. It would have been the right thing to do. However, McLaren enjoys such a commanding lead from that perspective that this decision appears almost unnecessary.
We understand McLaren’s position and we also understand Oscar Piastri’s disappointment—but is it right to behave this way?
At this point, one wonders: how far can the “papaya rules” go? It is acceptable not to have the drivers fight, and it is reasonable to continue thinking in team terms until there is mathematical certainty that at least one of the two drivers will win the championship. However, perhaps denying the drivers the chance to express their own race ideas and strategies is taking things a bit too far.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are fighting for the title, and if they are effectively denied even the possibility to confront each other based on the ideas they come up with to try to prevail, then how exactly will the 2025 Drivers’ Championship be decided?
It is difficult to choose sides, as McLaren also has valid reasons. The team wanted to secure a sure double podium and followed the same principles it has followed since the beginning of the year. Norris was able to use the one-stop strategy due to his “unlucky” start to the race, while Oscar was forced to go for two stops because he was immediately involved in the fight from the first lap and thus wore his tires down faster.
Considering both perspectives, we can understand the team’s rationale as well as Oscar Piastri’s frustration, but the question remains: is it right to act like this?
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