McLaren are one of only two teams on the Formula 1 grid to retain the same line-up for the 2025 season. Aston Martin, who will field Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, are the other.
Norris eventually finished 82 points ahead of Piastri in their second year as teammates. The Australian was just 32 adrift after winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but he lost ground in the last third of the campaign.
Piastri was also outclassed in qualifying, losing 21-3 overall. Still, on top form, he’s arguably quicker than Norris, and he’s consistently close to the 25-year-old regardless.
There is, then, no clear number one driver at Woking. The same can be said of Ferrari, who may once again be McLaren’s biggest challengers.
Charles Leclerc’s status won’t be affected by the arrival of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton may be a legendary figure but Leclerc is a child of Ferrari who’s shown the speed to deliver the title.
The hierarchy at Mercedes is less clear – there’s a disparity in experience between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, but there’s no indication he’ll receive superior treatment. In fact, the only team in the top four with an obvious number one is Red Bull, where Max Verstappen partners newcomer Liam Lawson.
McLaren will maintain controversial team orders policy for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
For most of last season, McLaren refused to favour either of their drivers. This hurt Norris’ drivers’ title bid, though the team will point to their eventual constructors’ championship triumph as vindication.
Norris was ordered to cede the victory to Piastri at the Hungarian GP after gaining what the team saw as an unfair advantage in the pit-stop phase. It wasn’t until September that Zak Brown and Andrea Stella threw their weight behind the Briton.
- READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine
He was always an outsider in the title race given Verstappen’s commanding lead, never getting closer than 44 points. But he could theoretically have put the Red Bull driver under more pressure with greater backing.
Even though the policy has split opinion, Motorsport.com report that McLaren will maintain their ‘mantra’ of prioritising the constructors’ next year. That’s their ‘first aim’ despite the ‘massive’ individual objectives of Norris and Piastri.
Zak Brown on the moment his McLaren drivers misunderstood the papaya rules
This plan is music to the ears of reigning champion Verstappen. While McLaren’s drivers will continue to take points off one another, he should be Red Bull’s lead scorer almost every race alongside the inexperienced Lawson.
In a championship that’s forecast to be impossibly tight, that could ultimately make the difference. Verstappen bagged just under 75% of Red Bull’s total points last year.
Mario Andretti says Norris and Piastri should ‘focus on winning’ for themselves after ending McLaren’s title drought last year. But Brown and Stella continue to preach the importance of the collective.
Brown admits McLaren’s drivers misunderstood the papaya rules at last year’s Italian Grand Prix. Piastri’s aggressive first-lap overtake demoted his teammate to third, ultimately helping Leclerc score victory. Perhaps this is the kind of scenario the team fear if they ditch their mantra.
Leave feedback about this