Ex-McLaren man explained why Lando Norris may have more internal ‘supporters’ than Oscar Piastri

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Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s title battle at McLaren ran all the way until the end of the season.

Norris eventually beat his teammate by just 13 points, though Red Bull driver Max Verstappen bumped Piastri down to third place.

McLaren built their best car of the 21st century, winning 14 out of 24 races and scoring 34 podiums. But they also faced criticism from some fans, particularly those who were sympathetic to Piastri.

There was a narrative Norris was receiving preferential treatment from McLaren. The team say they made every decision in the interests of fairness, whether they were intervening in a race or sitting back.

Zak Brown and Andrea Stella both strongly denied that they had any preference in the internal battle, and Piastri himself has never suggested otherwise.

Lando Norris’ demeanour may earn him more supporters inside McLaren

Jo Ramirez worked at McLaren for nearly 20 years, joining in 1983 before leaving in 2001. He was the team coordinator the last time two of their drivers – in that case Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost – finished first and second in the championship.

Ramirez compared Norris to the late Ferrari talent Ricardo Rodriguez, Mexico’s first-ever F1 driver. He says they share the same enthusiasm for racing and the celebrity lifestyle.

By contrast, he regards Piastri as a ‘machine’ whose only concern is winning, rather than building relationships. On that basis, it may be easier for team staff to warm to Norris.

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“I really like Lando,” he told ESPN Mexico in August. “Lando is a guy like Ricardo Rodriguez. He loves racing, he loves what he does, he likes parties, he likes to have fun. He’s someone who enjoys life.

“Oscar is a machine. If it feels good to say hello to you, he greets you, if not, he ignores you. He doesn’t care. He never smiles, nothing. He’s a machine.

“He gets into the car and he’s focused so much on what he’s doing that he doesn’t care about anything around him. That’s why I say that, maybe within McLaren, I don’t want to upset too many people, I don’t know if there will be more supporters of Lando than Oscar, just because Oscar is the guy he is.

“But you have to admire him. He wants to be world champion, not just once but several times.”

Oscar Piastri says there’s only one ‘papaya rule’ at McLaren

Norris joined McLaren back in 2019 when they were still a midfield team. He has seen them build from occasional podiums to challenging the mighty Red Bull and now becoming F1’s dominant outfit.

After interviewing Zak Brown, one journalist suspected that Norris is McLaren’s ‘chosen son’. However, the team fought extremely hard to sign Piastri from Alpine in 2023, taking the battle all the way to the Contract Recognition Board.

While both drivers, more so Piastri, have received contentious team orders, McLaren never imposed a firm driver hierarchy even as the threat from Verstappen grew. Many other teams would have resorted to such measures.

Stella and Brown pride themselves on the freedom they give their drivers. Even though they have been debated relentlessly, Piastri says McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’ are simple – ‘don’t crash into each other’.