McLaren enter a Formula 1 season as the reigning Constructors’ champions for the first time since the beginning of the century.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri managed to match the achievement of Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard by fending off Ferrari at the final race in Abu Dhabi.
However, neither could emulate the Finn’s Drivers’ Championship win, but that’ll be the goal for both Norris and Piastri once the red lights go out at the start of the Australian Grand Prix.
By and large, Piastri and Norris supported each other throughout the season, handing each other victories at various points in the campaign.
Piastri’s maiden victory in Hungary required some negotiation from the McLaren pit wall after they allowed Norris to undercut him during the final round of pit stops.
The Australian then handed Norris the Sprint Race win in Sao Paulo, only for last season’s championship runner-up to return the favour in Qatar once the title was out of reach.
The 2025 season could end up playing out very different at McLaren.
Piastri will no longer have to obey to papaya rules – at least to begin with – and with another season under his belt, he’ll back himself to compete with Norris this year.
Oscar Piastri’s ‘dirty’ move on Lando Norris during the 2024 F1 season
F1 pundit James Hinchcliffe was speaking on The Red Flags Podcast and reflected on McLaren’s 2024 campaign.
He spoke about Norris’ race starts and how Verstappen caught him off the line a few times.
Asked whether that was an issue with Norris or the car, he said: “I mean, the car plays a big part in it, but I think the cars [are] as even as the rest.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration
“I don’t know, I mean, look, Max is exceptionally good at starts. I don’t know if that’s Max or the Red Bull.
“I don’t know the answer to that. It’s probably a combination of both. But Lando has now led several times out of turn one from pole. So like, he’s fine.”
It was put to him that Piastri had also overtaken him on the first lap as well and he said: “Oscar passed him. He didn’t like just get him off the line. Like Oscar’s first lap move in Monza was unbelievable, it was dirty!”
How Oscar Piastri’s ‘dirty’ move cost McLaren victory at the Italian Grand Prix
The 2024 race at Monza would have been the first Grand Prix McLaren would have looked at if they’d lost the Constructors’ Championship to Ferrari.
Norris qualified on pole position, with Piastri starting alongside him, qualifying four-thousandths ahead of George Russell.
The pair led after the treacherous first chicane, before Piastri divebombed down the inside of his teammate heading into the second chicane.
This pushed Norris wide and allowed Charles Leclerc to sneak though and at Ferrari’s home race, he was suddenly running second after starting in P4.
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McLaren’s papaya rules were explained for the first time at Monza, but did little to help their prospects.
Leclerc gambled on a one-stop strategy and with Norris out of position, McLaren were powerless to cover him.
Piastri desperately tried to catch the Monegasque driver but couldn’t overturn the deficit and not only did McLaren lose out on victory, but Norris’ chances of catching Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship were also dented.
CEO Zak Brown anticipates Norris and Piastri will clash at some point and the Australian has already shown he’s not afraid to race his teammate in a tough but fair manner.
He has to make sure that their personal battle doesn’t prevent McLaren from potentially retaining their Constructors’ title.
