McLaren won the Constructors’ Championship for the first time in over 20 years in 2024 after a consistent season from Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
The pair regularly finished on the podium and amassed nearly 100 points more than defending champions Red Bull, who dropped back to third following a tough season.
The inter-team dynamics between Piastri and Norris was one of the main storylines of 2024, with the pair matching each other in the races. But as Norris became more of a threat than the Australian to Verstappen’s title, it turned into a scenario where Piastri was causing more trouble than helping.
At the Italian GP, Piastri made a stern move for the lead on the opening lap which caused Norris to drop behind Charles Leclerc. This proved to be pivotal in the outcome of the race, as it enabled Leclerc to pass Piastri while Norris dropped further back and lost more points.
McLaren allowed both drivers to race each other, but only under what they termed as ‘Papaya Rules’ which effectively meant ‘race cleanly, but don’t hit your team-mate’. McLaren eventually backed Norris in the title battle against Max Verstappen, leading to the Australian giving up the Sao Paulo GP Sprint race victory in a bid to pile pressure on the Dutchman.
In a bid to avoid team orders this year, Piastri has revealed how he plans to avoid team orders when speaking to RacingNews365.nl.
Oscar Piastri details how he plans to avoid team orders in 2025
Even though Piastri was on the receiving end of team orders in Brazil, earlier in the season he earned his first F1 victory after McLaren told Norris to give up his lead following a strategic error.
Norris obliged, but it was clear that the Briton felt it was unnecessary given he was much closer to Verstappen in the title battle. Piastri stopped short of saying he would give up a race win when asked if he would back Norris, and now he wants to avoid team orders altogether.
“I think it’s important for me to initially put myself in a stronger position. That’s probably the biggest lesson I can learn from this,” said Piastri.
“I think I just have to make sure I score the points and maximize my chances because that really led to the team orders. So that’s my goal.”
McLaren drivers told to race Max Verstappen differently in 2025
Both McLaren drivers were caught up in multiple incidents with Verstappen throughout the 2024 season, as they battled for the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship.
Piastri made contact with Verstappen on the opening lap of the Abu Dhabi GP following a late move into the first corner by the Dutchman, which nearly jeopardised their chance to win a Constructors’ title for the first time since 1998.
Verstappen was penalised on multiple occasions throughout the season for collisions and forcing Norris off track, which now means the Dutchman is close to a one-race ban.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has told his drivers that they will race Verstappen differently in 2025, given how his on-track conduct has impacted his drivers the most.
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