McLaren secured the Constructors’ Championship thanks to the outstanding work of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. The relationship between the two prevented significant issues within the team, and every situation was managed to avoid internal disputes.
However, this balance could soon change dramatically. Next season, aware of McLaren’s strength, both drivers might compete for the Drivers’ Championship, effectively making them rivals for the title.
According to Marc Priestley, a former McLaren mechanic, this situation could become a major headache for the Woking-based team. Priestley worked at McLaren during the heated rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in the 2007 season. In that case, the rivalry between the two drivers ultimately harmed the team itself.
Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and the Risk for the Papaya Rules
Last season, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella supported and defended the team, demonstrating that their two drivers are capable of delivering victories and more.
In fact, Zak Brown has always emphasized the long-standing tradition of the papaya team not unfairly prioritizing one driver over the other, comparing the current situation to the era of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in the team. But everyone knows how that turned out, and if history is a teacher, it is not entirely smiling upon McLaren.
On this subject, the former mechanic offered his perspective, as reported by RN365: “There is still enormous untapped potential between the two; neither of them had ever won a race before this season. Their potential is huge. They are both in a really good position.”
“However, if both are fighting for the Drivers’ Championship next season, with the only ones standing in each other’s way being themselves, there is no way Norris and Piastri will remain friends. History, more than any prediction, tells us it will be impossible,” Priestley concluded.
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