McLaren explains ‘factors’ behind ‘clean slate’ after Norris’ repercussions erased

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says McLaren opted to give Lando Norris a clean slate against his teammate as the Woking team wants the best chance possible at winning the Drivers’ Championship title.

McLaren’s advantage, which once looked an almost certain 1-2 finish in the F1 2025 drivers’ standings, has been whittled away in the last four race weekends as Max Verstappen has scored 101 of the maximum 108 points.

The Max Verstappen ‘factor’ behind McLaren’s decision

Winning three grands prix; Monza, Baku and Austin, as well as the Sprint in Austin, Verstappen has outscored Norris by 44 points and championship leader Oscar Piastri by 64.

Having looked to be down and out after the Dutch Grand Prix, when his deficit to Piastri climbed to 104 points, the reigning World Champion has emerged as a serious threat. One that McLaren is determined to close down.

With five races remaining, Verstappen has closed to within 40 points of Piastri and is 26 down on Norris, who was up against “marginal” sporting consequences from McLaren having collided with his teammate at the start of the Singapore Grand Prix.

Although McLaren didn’t go into detail about the consequences, it was suspected that Piastri would get priority during qualifying in the remaining races.

However, after the two clashed in the short race at the Circuit of the Americas where Piastri collected Norris as part of a multi-car crash, putting both MCL39s out of the race, the team lifted Norris’ punishment.

McLaren teammate head-to-head stats

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

Piastri revealed the decision, saying: “I think there is a degree of responsibility from my side in the Sprint and we’re starting this weekend with a clean slate for both of us. So just going out and racing and see who can come out on top.

“The consequences on Lando have been removed. There’s a lot of factors involved, but ultimately, yes, that’s what’s been decided.”

His team principal Andrea Stella has subsequently shed more light on the other factors. One of them is called Max Verstappen.

Acknowledging the threat that the four-time World Champion poses, Stella says keeping Verstappen at bay is now the team’s only priority.

“As usual, we review things, team, drivers, in a very open way, in a very constructive way,” Stella told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets in Mexico City.

“We thought that the best approach moving forward was to start with a clean slate and focus in the only direction on which we want to focus, which is, make sure that the Drivers’ Championship is papaya.

“All the rest is less important and there’s somebody that is coming with great momentum. Our mission is to stop this momentum and bring back the momentum to the papaya side.”

McLaren last won the Drivers’ title in 2008 with Lewis Hamilton, while the team’s most recent 1-2 in the standings was in 1989 when Alain Prost beat his teammate Ayrton Senna.

The Woking team has already wrapped up the Constructors’ title, doing so in Singapore where the team achieved the feat in record-equalling fashion with six races to spare.

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock

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