Damon Hill tells Oscar Piastri the demand he must make to McLaren ahead of the 2026 F1 season

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It will be fascinating to see how Oscar Piastri reacts the next time McLaren appear to compromise one of his races to benefit his teammate Lando Norris after some questionable decisions at the back end of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Oscar Piastri led the drivers’ championship for longer than any other driver in 2025.

Unfortunately, the Australian could only finish third in the standings as his McLaren teammate Lando Norris took the crown, and Max Verstappen nearly completed the mother of all comebacks.

Piastri had a 34-point lead over Norris at one stage of the season, but questionable calls in Monza and Singapore initially pegged him back.

Will Piastri have a better career than any driver on this list?

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It’s believed that Piastri’s camp wasn’t happy with some of the treatment he received before a late dip in form saw his chances slip away.

Now, Damon Hill has given his final verdict on how the 2025 campaign played out for the 24-year-old.

He believes that Piastri can go to McLaren after the winter break and make some serious demands after the treatment he received last year.

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

Damon Hill tells Oscar Piastri to make McLaren team orders demands ahead of the 2026 campaign

Hill was asked on the Drive to Wynn Podcast how Piastri would be feeling at the end of the 2025 campaign and said: “I think he probably felt the worst he was going to feel after Qatar.

“I think he could not believe what happened there. And yeah, he’s had some misfortune, you have to say, and he’s lost out because of some decisions with McLaren trying to be fair.

“For example, Lando had a bad pit stop, was it at Monza, and he was asked to kind of give the place back and wow.

“I mean, that’s a big thing to do, isn’t it? To give points away to a guy you could be fighting for the world championship for.

“And he will probably look at that and go, well, maybe I won’t do that again.

“I mean, next year if I were him, I’d be coming back, and I’d say, ‘Listen, I love the team, and it’s been great, but I have to think of myself, and it’s my career.

“‘If the situation arises and you’re asking me to return points to my teammate, you have to ask yourself, why would I do that?’

“I can’t afford to do that. I did it last year, and it could have cost me the world championship.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Andrea Stella spotted the moment 2025 F1 title pressure got to Oscar Piastri

For team principal Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown, keeping Norris and Piastri together for as long as possible has to be the aim.

They could have kept Gabriel Bortoleto in their academy instead of letting him join Sauber, and signing current F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli gives McLaren an exciting back-up option.

But neither driver is on the same level as their current pairing, which is why getting their team orders spot on is so important.

Stella spotted the pressure getting to Piastri at one moment in 2025, but that doesn’t explain his six-race run without a podium.

It could also be argued that Norris was also struggling at times, after his crash in qualifying in Saudi Arabia and then hitting Piastri in Canada.

Ultimately, Piastri is in a position of power, knowing that many of the top teams in the paddock will be keeping a close eye on his contract situation.

If it looks like McLaren are going to prioritise Norris again, then he might start to explore those options.