Bias at McLaren? Piastri sets record straight on conspiracies and speculation

Oscar Piastri is “very happy” to say there is no bias or favouritism at McLaren, just two teammates who have been given a “fair chance” at the F1 2025 World title.

He does, however, accept that his and Norris’ fans, drawing on the age-old rivalry of Australia versus England, will buy into the conspiracies and speculation even if it’s not felt by the drivers, who just want to beat everyone no matter the nationality.

Oscar Piastri v Lando Norris: Fact versus fiction

⦁ Oscar Piastri v Lando Norris title race hit a flashpoint in Singapore
⦁ Championship leader denies conspiracies of bias or favouritism
⦁ 22 points separate the McLaren teammates heading into Austin

McLaren’s papaya rules, which first and foremost are not to crash into one another, were tested to the point of breaking at the Singapore Grand Prix when Norris barged into Piastri on the opening lap as they fought for position.

The Australian was aggrieved, not so much by his teammate’s actions, but that McLaren took none against the Briton, who finished the race ahead of Piastri and took three points out of his championship lead.

McLaren held discussions with the drivers in the wake of the Marina Bay race with Piastri saying his teammate had “taken responsibility” while Norris revealed that “the team held me accountable for what happened” and that there were “repercussions”.

Neither driver went into details as to what those repercussions were, but whatever was said, and done, has Piastri declaring with full confidence that there is no bias or favouritism with the McLaren team.

“Yes, I’m very happy with that,” Piastri told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets in Austin when asked about concerns that McLaren was favouring Norris. “I think for me, we analysed the incident.

“There has been responsibility placed on Lando, ultimately, in that collision.

“But I’m very happy that there’s no favouritism or bias.”

Such is McLaren’s stance on fairness, Piastri even ruled out the team supporting his title quest over Norris’, even though the teammates are under threat from Max Verstappen, who has closed the gap in the last three races. Verstappen is 63 points down on Piastri, and 41 behind Norris.

“I don’t think so, no,” he said. “I think every driver wants a fair chance to try and win a championship. For me, it’s more than fair to let us both keep fighting for that.

“So, no, I don’t think that’s the approach we should take.”

The McLaren duo reflect on the “repercussions” of their first-lap clash in Singapore ⚔️🗣️#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/THo6TM1lrq

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 16, 2025

Oscar Piastri v Lando Norris has ignited Australia v England rivalry

That Piastri hails from Melbourne, Australia and Norris from Bristol in England has only added some spice to their title fight for their fans, after all, Australia v England is a rivalry for the ages.

From cricket’s Ashes to rugby’s World Cup, the two nations have battled hard on the sporting fields for pride and bragging rights.

Today, that has boiled over into Formula 1.

But for Piastri, it’s got nothing to do with beating a driver because of his nationality; he wants to beat everyone.

“I think the nationality doesn’t really make much difference,” insisted the 24-year-old. “You know, if it was someone from a different country, it’d be the same thing.

“I think as an Aussie and Englishman in sport, there’s always a lot of rivalry. And you know, whether it’s F1, cricket, I would say football, but not quite a fair match on that one, rugby.

“So, you know, there’s always that rivalry there.

“And, obviously, I know the fans are going to buy into that a lot.

“For me, it doesn’t matter who I’m racing against, I’m always going to try and go out there and beat everyone I’m up against, and that’s no different in this scenario.”

More on the Oscar Piastri v Lando Norris title fight

👉 Has McLaren really been playing favourites in Norris v Piastri title fight?

👉 Oscar Piastri feeling Lando Norris ‘favouritism’ as McLaren under microscope

Oscar Piastri v Lando Norris: What next in the F1 title fight?

Piastri and Norris will line up on the Sprint grid on Saturday at the Circuit of The Americas separated by just 22 points, with 33 in total up for grabs this weekend.

And they’ll do so with McLaren’s reaffirmed ‘papaya rules’ ringing in their ears.

“I think we’re very clear on how we want to go racing as a team, and that includes going forward, and the incident we had in Singapore isn’t how we want to go racing,” said Piastri.

Norris added: “Definitely avoiding anything worse happening than what did. This is the last thing I want, something like that to happen to cause these kinds of controversial talks after a race.”

Although McLaren secured the Constructors’ Championship in Singapore, it was barely mentioned as the world focused on the drivers’ flashpoint and a potentially fiery end to the season.

With the teams’ title wrapped up, McLaren is expected to give the drivers a bit more leeway in the final six races, but clearly one rule still stands: Don’t crash into each other.

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock

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