Marc Priestley adamant McLaren ‘desperately need’ one thing to avoid ‘disastrous’ Lando Norris-Oscar Piastri problem

McLaren have continued their early dominance to the 2025 Formula 1 season at the Japanese Grand Prix with title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri setting the pace.

Norris hit the ground running at Suzuka on Friday, as the Briton topped the timesheet in FP1 while Piastri initially struggled. But the Australian hit back in FP2, as Piastri moved to the top of the timesheet amid the heavily disrupted hour-long session impacted by several red flags.

Only 0.049 seconds would split the McLaren drivers in the FP2 leaderboard at the Japanese GP as Piastri overturned his 1.159s deficit from FP1. It sets the Woking squad up to continue their superb start, after they won the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix from pole position.

McLaren need Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri to dominate to avoid repeating Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso’s saga

Norris withstood pressure from Piastri and Max Verstappen to win amid Melbourne’s mixed conditions and lead the F1 drivers’ championship for the very first time. But the 25-year-old lacked his teammate’s pace in Shanghai, as Piastri converted his first F1 pole to win in China.

Only 10 points now separate the teammates ahead of the Japanese GP, and Marc Priestley is adamant that McLaren need Norris or Piastri to start dominating the other so they can avoid picking a No1. The team have so far handled them as equals, but Priestley doubts it can last.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

He also speaks from experience, as Priestley worked for McLaren when Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were teammates in 2007. That relationship deteriorated rapidly and it saw Kimi Raikkonen win what remains Ferrari’s most recent drivers title by a point over the pair.

Priestley said on The Chequered Flag podcast: “Are we going to see one driver dominate the other? I think that’s what McLaren desperately need to happen. And the reason is because then they don’t have to make a decision over favouring one over the other.

“The last time McLaren were in a championship fight with their two drivers as the only guys really in with a chance of winning the title was when I was there back in 2007 – it was Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Anyone remember that season? It went disastrously.”

Alice Powell expects McLaren to pick a No1 driver between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

McLaren will be desperate to avoid any repeat of their dramas which infamously saw Alonso block Hamilton in their pit box in qualifying at the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix. He sealed the title in 2005 and 2006 with Renault but felt McLaren had begun to favour a rookie Hamilton.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

Norris and Piastri’s relationship would have to sour drastically for either to stoop to such low levels this term. But Piastri has made his opposition to McLaren team orders clear as he bids to deny the Briton and add a Formula 1 championship to his Formula 2 plus Formula 3 titles.

Also, Norris admits his title fight with Piastri is creating ‘not an easy dynamic’ at McLaren on the back of them winning the opening two Grands Prix. So, Priestley is not alone in believing McLaren need one of their drivers to take control as they cannot go all year with two No1s.

Alice Powell told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra at the Japanese GP: “You can’t have two number ones. But at this stage of the season, you have to treat them equally because they are both doing a fantastic job. Oscar Piastri was really solid in China and deserved to have that win.

“Later on in the season, when it gets to crunch time, they will potentially have to look at having a number one.”