Would Oscar Piastri obey McLaren team orders to help Lando Norris?
Oscar Piastri is in his third full season with McLaren in 2025
Zak Brown, the McLaren chief executive, says there is “no doubt” that Oscar Piastri will “comply” if asked to help teammate Lando Norris win the F1 2025 title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The final round of the F1 2025 season will take place this weekend with three drivers – two from McLaren – still mathematically in contention for the title.
McLaren expects Oscar Piastri to ‘comply’ with any Abu Dhabi Grand Prix team orders
Norris holds a 12-point lead over Red Bull driver Max Verstappen entering the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, with Piastri a further four points back in third.
With only 25 points available at Yas Marina, Melbourne-born Piastri is regarded as the clear outsider in the three-way fight.
McLaren has operated a policy of total fairness between Norris and Piastri in 2025, refusing to prioritise one driver over the other despite the lingering threat posed by Verstappen.
However, Brown hinted at a change to McLaren’s policy in Friday’s FIA press conference in Abu Dhabi, suggesting the team could intervene as the race unfolds.
Oscar Piastri vs Lando Norris: McLaren head-to-head scores for F1 2025
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
Asked if he is confident that Piastri will move aside for Norris if requested during Sunday’s race, Brown outlined his hope that the Australian will work “in the best interest of the team.”
He told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “Yes.
“Our drivers have always complied with team wishes, just as we comply with their wishes.
“So I’ve got no doubt either of our drivers will continue to race as they’ve done brilliantly – in the best interest of the team.”
As reported by PlanetF1.com, Brown had earlier hinted at a tweak to McLaren’s policy of equality for the title decider.
Asked if he stands by his recent comments that he would rather lose the title to Verstappen than turn to team orders, he replied: “Yes.
“In the sense of team orders, as long as both drivers have a chance to win the world championship – which they clearly do sitting here right now – then it’s business as usual. They’re free to race.
“Obviously, we’ll be practical and realistic that if, as the weekend develops, as the race develops, it becomes clear that one has a significantly better chance than another, then we’re a team that wants to win the drivers’ championship and we will race accordingly to do whatever we can to get whatever that driver is in front to try and win the race.
“Our team orders have been around given equal opportunity to win the championship.
“But as the race plays out, if it becomes clear that both can’t, then we’re going to do what’s in the best interest of the team and try and win the drivers’ championship.”
Put to him that his openness to prioritising one driver in Abu Dhabi could be considered a U-turn on McLaren’s policy, he replied: “I don’t think it’s a U-turn.
“We’re going to start the weekend like we have the other 23, which is going in, giving both drivers equal opportunity.
“I think, last year, once it became clear that Lando had the best chance to catch Max and Oscar was almost statistically out of it in Baku, we then asked Oscar to support Lando – and it ended up Lando supporting Oscar in that particular race and Oscar won the race.
“So we’re going to use common sense. We’re not going to throw away a driver championship over a sixth and seventh place, a third and a fourth place, a fifth and a sixth place.
“If one of our drivers doesn’t have the opportunity [we will ask him to support].
“I think everything we do, we do with the drivers, so they know what the gameplan is for this weekend.
“And outside of our racing team, you’re a bit damned if you do, damned if you don’t, and so we’re going to just stay true to our racing principles.
“We want to win the constructors’ [title], which we’ve done. We want to win the drivers’ and so we’ll see how the race plays out.”
More on Oscar Piastri and McLaren from PlanetF1.com
Norris – who claimed on Thursday that a decision on whether McLaren enact team orders is “up to Oscar” – topped both practice sessions on Friday in Abu Dhabi.
Piastri, meanwhile, was classified a distant 12th in FP2 having made a mistake on his qualifying simulation.
The Australian missed the opening practice session in Abu Dhabi as McLaren was forced to field a rookie driver in FP1 to meet F1’s rules.
The regulations dictate that teams must field a rookie driver – classed as a driver who has started no more than two grands prix – in two FP1 sessions per car each season, with IndyCar star Patricio O’Ward driving Piastri’s car in first practice.
Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher
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