McLaren are the title favourites after emerging as the team to beat in 2025 with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Piastri has won four of the opening six races, while Norris won the season opener in Melbourne, with the pair also achieving three poles between them.
Max Verstappen has been their main rival, using his sheer talent to extract maximum performance out of the troublesome Red Bull RB21. The Milton Keynes squad is adamant they can fix their car’s problems, which could enable Verstappen to catch up at Imola.
If Red Bull closes the gap, it will put Norris and Piastri under pressure. McLaren have been reluctant to apply team orders early in the season, but they could be forced to make a decision earlier than expected to preserve their title lead.
Last season, McLaren had to support Norris after a late surge to a title challenge, and this year it appears they could be on course to do the same if Piastri’s form continues. If they don’t, they face the same potential scenario as Ronnie Peterson and Emerson Fittipaldi in 1973.
McLaren must learn from Jackie Stewart’s 1973 season to avoid Max Verstappen defeat
The 1973 season draws similar parallels to 2025 in that it was two different teams that dominated: Tyrrell and Lotus.
Lotus was using the 72D designed by team founder Colin Chapman and driven by Fittipaldi and Peterson. The season got off to a great start for Fittipaldi, who won three of the opening six races and finished on the podium for the other three.
Peterson suffered some bad luck with retirements and a non-points finish, placing P11 at the South African Grand Prix, but his season would kickstart in Monaco with a third place and a win at the French GP.
Midway through the season, Fittipaldi had more race wins than Peterson, but the consistency of Jackie Stewart saw him go 18 points ahead in the championship. The Scot also had the backing of Francois Cevert, a young Frenchman who was seen as an upcoming talent in F1.
The season would see Fittipaldi and Peterson taking points off each other at various Grands Prix, as Chapman said they were free to race. This enabled Stewart to win his third and final title, although it would ultimately end in tragedy with the death of teammate Cevert at the US Grand Prix at the end of the season.
A disgruntled Fittipaldi would ultimately leave Lotus, despite securing the Constructors’ Championship, to join McLaren on a lucrative deal which included new headline sponsor Marlboro in 1974.
McLaren must not fear using team orders if either driver is ahead in the championship
A similar scenario to Lotus could play out for McLaren if Red Bull improves their fortunes and Verstappen continues to show consistent form.
The Dutchman has already proved that he can score poles in an inferior car, and Red Bull are already reportedly trialling a system that could help them with tyre life in races.
Mario Andretti believes McLaren need to make a decision halfway through the season, to avoid a similar scenario to Peterson and Fittipaldi.
Martin Brundle has already warned McLaren of the possibility that both drivers could take points off each other, having seen them do the same at the tail end of 2024.
Andrea Stella has not ruled out using team orders in this scenario, but if Piastri’s current form continues into the European races we could see this happen sooner rather than later.
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