Karun Chandhok urges McLaren to copy Lewis Hamilton-Nico Rosberg policy with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

McLaren have a headache with their drivers in 2025 as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri target the world championship.

The Woking-based outfit are looking to dethrone Max Verstappen in 2025 and are in a great position to do that. McLaren have a clear advantage over their rivals in terms of pace and used it to win in Australia and China – Norris and Piastri claiming one victory each.

However, McLaren have a major problem with team orders as both drivers want to fight for the championship. So far, it seems Norris is being favoured, with Piastri being ordered to hold position in two of the three Grand Prix thus far.

Verstappen sits between the McLaren drivers heading into the Bahrain Grand Prix, just one point behind Norris. The Dutchman produced a stunning lap in qualifying to take pole at Suzuka and benefitted from having clean air at the front to hold off pressure from Norris and Piastri to win.

Karun Chandhoks thinks McLaren gave Verstappen a ‘powerful’ edge in the title fight with their strategy at the Japanese Grand Prix. The team missed an opportunity to undercut the Red Bull driver with Norris and then kept Piastri behind his teammate when he looked like the fastest driver.

Naomi Schiff thinks Norris and Piastri have a ‘secret agreement’ during races to hold position unless there is a reason to race each other. It seems McLaren are reluctant to let their drivers battle, but Chandhok wants to see that change this weekend.

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Karun Chandhok urges McLaren to let their drivers race like Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes

Team orders have been an issue for McLaren since 2024, with Piastri clearly wanting to battle Norris on track while the team looked to prioritise the Brit in a bid to beat Verstappen.

McLaren’s situation is very similar to that of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg during their time at Mercedes. The pair fought an intense rivalry in the mid-2010s – coined ‘The Silver War’ – as he battled for the championship.

Hamilton and Rosberg produced a brilliant battle in the 2014 edition of the Bahrain Grand Prix, going wheel to wheel throughout the race as the former edged the latter by just over a second. Speaking on Sky Sports F1 during FP3, Chandhok wants to see Norris and Piastri have a ‘duel in the desert.’

“What do you think McLaren will do Crofty? If we see them 1-2, three, four tenths clear of the pack, they’ve got to be free to race, haven’t they?

“I want to see Norris vs Piastri. We haven’t seen that, we haven’t seen like a duel in the desert, Nico-Lewis type battle. We haven’t seen a Norris vs Piastri ding-dong and I’d like to see that.”

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Is Oscar Piastri getting frustrated by McLaren’s team orders in 2025?

Damon Hill expects ‘trouble’ between the McLarens this season. Neither Norris nor Piastri will want to relinquish their championship aspirations.

But after three races, it seems Piastri is once again being held back. The Aussie was told to hold position in Melbourne behind Norris before he spun onto the grass in the tricky conditions.

The 24-year-old was also not allowed past his teammate at Suzuka as they failed to catch Verstappen. Manager Mark Webber gave a telling reaction to McLaren’s decision, suggesting he was unimpressed that Piastri wias ept behind Norris.

Piastri wants to be team leader at McLaren after committing his future to the team beyond 2026. He is effectively on equal terms with his teammate, but early indications suggest Norris is more of the number one driver – he will certainly be getting frustrated if he not given the chance to fight the Brit.