Why McLaren has no need to favour Norris or Piastri in tight title battle

McLaren has dominated the headlines in the wake of its late position switch between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at Monza, perhaps not without merit as the team looks to be as fair to its drivers as possible.

What this has fuelled, however, is online theories that the team is favouring Norris as both drivers go in pursuit of their first Drivers’ title – which could not appear to be further from the truth.

McLaren conspiracy theories addressed as Norris-Piastri title battle heats up

Put simply, McLaren – as with every team on the grid – has its main goal in the season: To win the Constructors’ Championship. Everything beyond that is a bonus, but the Constructors’ standings are where the prize money sits in Formula 1.

For the two drivers who get the team to that position, however, it is all about individual glory in the Drivers’ Championship. The sport has always been, and always will be, a delicate balance between drivers who are, ultimately, gunning for victory on their own, but needing the support of their respective teams to do so, whose goal is all about winning for the collective.

In the wake of the chequered flag falling at Monza, our comments section here at PlanetF1.com and our social media channels have not been short of comments looking to relate the team’s switch of drivers to some kind of ‘preference’ of Norris over Piastri in its dealings.

The team has been forthright multiples times this season in saying it wants to treat both drivers as equally as possible, but Piastri’s question to McLaren was a valid one at Monza, with Norris’ slow stop putting him behind on the road and the Australian asking if it was simply a part of racing.

As Andrea Stella explained after the race: “I think that the pit stop situation is not only a matter of fairness, it’s a matter of consistency with our principles.

“However the championship goes, what’s important is that the championship runs within the principles and the racing values that we have at McLaren, and that we have created together with our drivers.

“It was just done because we were covering Leclerc, and at the same time, we were waiting until the last possible moment to see if there had been a red flag or a safety car.

“So we pursued the team interest, and to capitalise as much as possible on this interest, we needed to go first with Oscar, then with Lando. But, clear intent was, this is not going to deliver a swap of positions.

How the F1 2025 battles are heating up

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“So the fact that we went first with Oscar, compounded by the slow pit stop of Lando, then led to a swap of positions, and we thought it was absolutely the right thing to go back to the situation, pre-existing at the pit stop, and then let the guys race.

“This is what we did, and this is what we think is in compliance with our principles.

“We will review the case. We will review also the situation whereby it was a slow pit stop in isolation.

“We already have our principles in relation to that. We will review our principles in relation to that and reinforce the direction, if this is in agreement with our drivers.”

In agreeing to move aside, with the near-drama of Hungary 2024 being used as an example in getting Piastri to cede position, the slate should theoretically be wiped clean from here – but as the title fight begins to simmer, McLaren taking more of a ‘hands-off’ approach to its drivers should be high on the agenda.

McLaren has the chance to win the Constructors’ Championship with seven races to spare in Baku next weekend and, once the main target for the season is achieved, all eyes will be on the team to see how it handles a close run-in.

How a recent in-team title battle was handled at Mercedes

As Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has explained, however, it is a difficult thing to have two teammates going all-out for the title, having experienced it three times himself with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Where he explained how tough it could be to manage the two drivers he had, Wolff added his previous situation at Mercedes is different to what is unfolding at McLaren, but pointed to an imminent Constructors’ Championship victory as the moment the Silver Arrows would add less direction to proceedings.

“I think we had two different animals in the car,” Wolff said. “Lewis and Nico, they were two fierce combatants that took no prisoners racing against each other.

“At times, very difficult to manage for the team. I don’t see that at McLaren… it’s a bit corporate.

“I think, first of all, where it was difficult for us in 2016, they were there for a long time. Lewis was a World Champion.

“It was two lions in the car that went at each other’s throats. That’s very different today.”

“I think if I look at our situations, because I’m not in the shoes of McLaren, back in the day, with the kind of gap you have where Constructors’ Championship is guaranteed, you just let them race, but within the spirit.

“You have your race fair and square, you don’t touch. That’s the rule. And if back in the day you touch, then we take control. That’s what I would have done maybe better in 2016 rather than trying to overmanage with our racing intent.”

The only scenario in which McLaren would gain by favouring one driver

As a team, McLaren’s main target for 2025 is almost sewn up, so what sense would it make in this instance to back one driver over another? Almost none.

The only way in which such a conversation may become prudent is if a threat from elsewhere, such as Max Verstappen, begins to close in on the McLaren duo, and the team decides to take action to make absolutely sure that both titles return to Woking this season.

Those with a long enough memory will remember the team has been been beaten to the punch at the last moment before when both drivers were fighting for the title, back in 2007.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were both slugging it out at the front, but Kimi Raikkonen stayed within a close enough distance to capitalise at the final opportunity to win his first and only title.

The difference with that scenario this time, however, is that Verstappen is considerably further behind at this stage and, much like 2007, if both drivers are in with a chance of title glory in the closing rounds, neither is likely to want to cede ground.

Both Norris and Piastri are on long-term contracts with McLaren so this line-up appears set for some time to come, the team has shown its faith in both drivers to perform and, as alluded to, the primary goal of the Constructors’ title is almost sealed, so favouring one over another would be a case of the team cutting off its nose to spite its face – it would ultimately be meaningless.

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