Bernie Ecclestone tells Zak Brown he’s ‘making a mistake’ with his treatment of Oscar Piastri

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Bernie Ecclestone is concerned by McLaren’s management of the delicate dynamic between their two drivers. Lando Norris is now just 14 points behind Oscar Piastri in the F1 title battle.

For much of the season, it appeared as if the McLaren duo were going head-to-head for the title. But Max Verstappen, having ruled himself out of contention as recently as August, has wiped 64 points out of Piastri’s lead with three wins in four races, closing the gap to just 40.

McLaren have been desperate to ensure fairness between their drivers this season, arguably to a fault. But the presence of Verstappen is the biggest test of that approach.

Zak Brown has led the team to back-to-back constructors’ titles for the first time since the start of the 1990s. That in itself is a historic achievement, but the drivers’ crown holds far more prestige, and McLaren haven’t won it since Lewis Hamilton’s sophomore year in 2008.

‘All signs’ point to Lando Norris being McLaren’s world champion

According to Sport Bild, there’s a rumour circulating in the paddock that ‘Norris is the darling’ of Brown given that their relationship dates back to 2015. Piastri only joined in 2023, the tail-end of the McLaren resurgence.

Some F1 insiders think Norris has received preferential treatment this season, though they’re not sure whether it’s deliberate. He’ll overtake David Coulthard at the top of McLaren’s appearance list before the end of the year.

One journalist who interviewed Brown said Norris sounded like the ‘chosen son’. Speaking to the aforementioned German publication, former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone ‘agreed’ that the team would rather see the 25-year-old win the title.

But he fears that this approach will open the door for Verstappen to lift the trophy for a fifth straight year.

“All signs at McLaren point to Lando Norris becoming world champion and not Oscar Piastri,” he said. “They’re making a mistake. Max Verstappen will be the third to win and become world champion again.”

David Croft says it’s time for McLaren to make a ‘ruthless’ call

The atmosphere at McLaren has changed, with the team no longer a picture of levity. Last year, they thrived in the role of underdog.

Nobody expected the team to win the constructors’, and Norris was always the outsider in the drivers’. But the pressure of being the favourites is weighing increasingly heavily.

David Croft says McLaren must now prioritise one driver, even though it would be a ‘ruthless’ call. They need the ‘silverware’ more than anything else and may need to react decisively to Verstappen’s charge, as ‘every other team’ would.

As it stands, Piastri would be the driver to benefit from that radical change, though on current form, Norris could eliminate his lead within a couple of rounds.