How Oscar Piastri feels about his McLaren future with Lando Norris relationship under ‘strain’

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McLaren wrapped up the constructors’ championship at the Singapore Grand Prix, but not everybody was celebrating.

Lando Norris was joined by plenty of his McLaren colleagues on the podium after finishing third at the Singapore Grand Prix.

However, his teammate Oscar Piastri was standing in the media pen at the time, with the jubilations spotted on the screen behind him as he started doing his post-race interviews.

Although this was a matter of timing rather than a deliberate snub from the Australian, it summed up how the race unfolded nicely.

Piastri felt hard done by after McLaren failed to take action following contact between him and Norris on the opening lap.

McLaren agreed with the stewards that Norris brushing the back of Max Verstappen’s car led him to bump wheels with Piastri, and that nothing could be done to prevent the contact.

However, given how the drivers’ championship leader moved aside for Norris at Monza after a slow pit stop, it’s easy to see why Piastri might feel sections of the team are against him at this stage.

This has unsurprisingly led to speculation about Piastri’s long-term future, but journalists Mark Hughes and Edd Straw don’t believe he’s rushing to leave the Woking-based team right now.

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

Oscar Piastri unlikely to leave McLaren while they have the ‘fastest car’ in Formula 1

Hughes was asked on The Race F1 Podcast whether Piastri and Norris could split at McLaren as soon as the end of next season.

He said: “I don’t think as soon as the end of next year, but you never know.

“Things happen suddenly in Formula 1 sometimes. I think it’s putting a strain on the relationship.

“But yeah, to the extent where Oscar would want to leave the team, I doubt it.

“Especially if they’ve still got the fastest car, you can live with a few stressors, can’t you, if they’re providing you with the fastest car?”

Straw: “Yeah, I think stress is the word. It’s not broken, but championship battles between teammates do this, don’t they? It’s just the way things work.”

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

What are Oscar Piastri’s options if he decides to leave McLaren?

Piastri won’t want to leave McLaren ahead of the start of the 2026 F1 season unless there’s a complete breakdown in his relationship with Norris or the team during the final six races.

That might mean McLaren needing to take a step back when it comes to their internal ‘papaya rules’, although Piastri has said in the past that the only real rule that exists between them is ‘no contact’, which might explain his anger at the start of Sunday’s race.

The Australian wouldn’t have a landing spot for next year even if he did decide to leave, but the 2027 driver market is far more interesting.

Piastri has been linked with a move to Ferrari, who could have two vacancies by then, or none, depending on how next year goes.

Charles Leclerc’s camp has approached Red Bull, and there’s no guarantee that Lewis Hamilton extends his current deal into 2027.

Andrea Stella and Zak Brown will be desperate to keep Norris and Piastri happy, as they’ll recognise how difficult it would be to replace one of their drivers.

It may also make their decision to allow F2 star Alex Dunne to leave look rather unwise, especially after Gabriel Bortoleto quit their junior programme to impress at Sauber this year.