Oscar Piastri reveals McLaren have now ‘clarified many things’ after controversial Lando Norris team orders

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After interfering with the finishing order of the Italian Grand Prix a fortnight ago, Oscar Piastri has revealed the internal discussions within McLaren that have ‘clarified many things’ regarding how he races Lando Norris for the 2025 F1 title.

The case of the 2025 F1 title fight is a curious one. We have two teammates in the McLaren stable competing for their maiden world championship, and while neither wants to give the other an inch, team orders have forced the pair to work together throughout the current campaign.

Tension has been building at McLaren as the final eight rounds of the 2025 season descend, and with Max Verstappen putting himself back into race-winning contention at Monza, he could be a thorn in the side of Norris and Piastri as they look towards securing the title.

The Woking-based outfit ended the European leg of the season with several issues that they need to iron out. One of them was McLaren’s need to optimise a low-downforce set-up, while the majority of them were down to the way they handle their drivers going forward.

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Oscar Piastri says McLaren has now clarified how he is going to ‘compete’ with Lando Norris from now on

In an interview with DAZN, the championship leader touched upon the incident at Monza and the aftermath that it left at McLaren, which needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.

“I’ve been thinking about it, we have also debated it with the team, and obviously, it has been a moment that has generated many headlines,” Piastri said. “But we have clarified many things about how we are going to compete from now on, which is the most important.”

The Australian was also asked about several other scenarios that may require team orders in the future.

However, Piastri was tight-lipped about the unknown, referring back to Monza, adding, “That I can talk about, because it happened, but other types of scenarios cannot be planned.

“Even so, we are aligned regarding the team’s definitions, and I trust they will do everything possible to make the best decisions.”

Piastri believes team strategy in an F1 title fight is an ‘added complication’ to the already heated nature of the battle. It isn’t just a case of racing to the chequered flag due to the number of variables involved in taking the chequered flag.

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Oscar Piastri holds the advantage over Lando Norris ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

The 24-year-old took his second-career win at the Baku City Circuit last year, beating pole-sitter Charles Leclerc to the chequered flag after starting alongside him on the grid.

The win marked McLaren’s first time leading the constructors’ championship since the first race of the 2014 season. They are yet to be knocked off their perch atop the grid since that race.

F1 experts believe Piastri will replicate his feat at Baku this season as well, given his bad run of luck in recent races that has seen him win just two of the last seven Grands Prix.

Another win added to his tally would see the Australian further bolster his lead at the top of the standings. The points swing could prove to be invaluable by the time the chequered flag falls in Abu Dhabi.

However, he may find stern competition from the Monegasque driver again. Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has tipped Leclerc to beat McLaren in Baku owing to the fact that he has secured pole position at the track for the previous four iterations of the race without also winning the Grand Prix.