Former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley warned a future rivalry between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could “destroy the team”, given previous examples of in-team battles.

Priestley referenced previous examples at McLaren when team-mate rivalries heat up, notably in 2007 between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton when they fought for the title during his spell at the Woking-based squad.

McLaren given ‘destroy the team’ warning in case of future Norris, Piastri rivalry

In-team fights for World Championships are rare in Formula 1 but are dramatic when they do occur, with Alonso and Hamilton both losing out to Kimi Raikkonen by one point in that 2007 season.

Priestley, now a presenter, commentator and podcaster, highlighted that he has not seen an example in which team-mates can remain friends while they are fighting toe-to-toe for the Drivers’ title, given what is at stake.

Moreover, if both are from the same team, that makes it even harder to manage – with one driver becoming an “enemy” with the other.

With McLaren having won the Constructors’ title in Abu Dhabi and looking set to be competitive again in 2025, Priestley offered words of caution in case both drivers are fighting at the sharp end next season.

“Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are two excellent drivers and still have lots of potential ahead of them,” Priestley told Casino Uden Rofus.

“There’s still a huge untapped potential between the two, neither of them had ever won a Grand Prix before this season, the potential is massive. They’re both in a really good position.

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“However, if they’re both competing for the championship next season with the only person standing in each other’s way being themselves, there is no way Norris and Piastri remain friends.

“I’ve never seen it happen and I don’t think it can happen. Since the age of seven or eight, these drivers have been dreaming of being an F1 champion, and their only competition is the guy wearing the same outfit in the same garage, they become your enemy. That’s the reality of the sport.

“I was at McLaren where this rare situation happens and things get nasty, elbows get out on the race track. We saw it with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Hamilton, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

“I have never seen a team successfully manage a rivalry like that, and it can split the team down the middle like it did when I worked with Alonso and Hamilton.

“It can destroy the team as a whole. It can happen in 2025, it may be an impossible scenario for McLaren to handle in a nice and polite way.”

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