McLaren could risk breaching Oscar Piastri’s contract with one Lando Norris decision in 2025 title fight

Follow us on Google Discover

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are set to play out an intense fight for the 2025 Formula 1 title, but the way McLaren have handled this battle has been called into question.

Piastri led the championship by 34 points after winning his seventh race of the season at Zandvoort. However, he has only been on the podium once since then, as teammate Norris and Max Verstappen have closed the gap.

Piastri has lost ‘trust’ in his McLaren as he struggles to extract performance on low-grip circuits. He has also been on the wrong end of the team’s ‘papaya rules’, after they instructed him to hand P2 to Norris after a slow pit stop in Monza.

In Singapore, McLaren did not intervene after Norris collided with Piastri on the opening lap. After winning the Mexico City GP, the former now leads the standings by one point, while the latter’s results have dropped at the worst possible time.

It can be argued that this was self-inflicted by Piastri, given his crash in Baku and poor qualifying and race pace in the last two races. However, his team have not helped matters either, with many in the paddock believing that McLaren are favouring Norris in the title fight.

McLaren could risk breaching Oscar Piastri’s contract if they prioritise Lando Norris in the 2025 title fight

McLaren have made it clear that they do not have a number one driver, which could be detailed within their contracts. Juan Pablo Montoya says McLaren can’t have a number one driver while Norris and Piastri are in contention for the title.

In that sense, they cannot prioritise one driver and make the other the number two within the team. Given the rumours about McLaren favouring Norris, they could risk breaching Piastri’s contract, as Robert Doornbos notes.

The former F1 driver said via the Pit Talk Podcast: “I think it would be [a] contract breach. I mean, if they’re within one point of one another, and I know that Oscar doesn’t have a second driver contract. I just know.

“And I know Lando doesn’t have [it] either. So it’s not as clear case as it is with Red Bull or it was with Ferrari in the past with Schumacher and Barrichello and these guys.

“So how can you make a decision to back one guy? That’s just not possible. And in the end, of course, they look in the mirrors and they see the Bull getting closer, even with these four rounds remaining. Anything is possible.

“And we talked about it already. Brazil is a famous place for Max. It might rain and we know what he can do in the wet in Brazil. that’s quite special.

“So that can be a big hit mentally, but you have to take it one weekend at a time. But McLaren, they cannot choose one driver and they should look in the mirrors and say: ‘OK, we made a huge error in Monza’, and this is something that I hope for Oscar, it won’t hit bite him in the a—“.

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

Could Oscar Piastri leave McLaren over 2025 title drama?

After Singapore, McLaren staff said Norris and Piastri will be allowed to fight for the remainder of the season. They have clearly stated that their drivers can battle for the title on equal terms, but the latter’s frustration towards past team orders could play on his mind.

If Piastri loses the title to Norris, he will certainly have something to say about previous races, where it can be argued that his teammate was prioritised. In the aftermath, it has been rumoured that the Aussie may consider his future.

Reports have linked Piastri to Ferrari for 2027, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both said to be debating their futures in Maranello. It has even been suggested that Piastri and Leclerc could swap places, with the Monegasque driver heading to McLaren.

The Woking outfit will be desperate to avoid a fallout amongst their drivers and with the team. It is why they must ensure that things are kept fair between Norris and Piastri, as one point separates them in the standings.