Oscar Piastri has acknowledged Max Verstappen’s looming threat in the Formula 1 championship could compel McLaren to abandon its impartial approach and implement team orders.
The Australian driver leads the Drivers’ standings by 10 points to his team-mate Lando Norris after nine rounds.
A challenging Spanish Grand Prix for reigning World Champion Verstappen saw him finish 10th after a time penalty, leaving him 49 points behind Piastri.
But at one stage, McLaren felt the pressure from the Dutchman on a three-stop strategy, keeping the Woking-based squad on edge until a late Safety Car eased those concerns.
Piastri’s victory marked his fifth of the season and McLaren’s seventh overall, compared to Red Bull’s two wins.
However, the 24-year-old remains far from convinced that Verstappen isn’t still a serious threat in the championship.
In fact, he believes McLaren must be ready to abandon its ‘let them race’ approach between him and Norris if the situation demands it.
“[We] both want to be World Champion,” Piastri told Viaplay.
“When you’ve got two quick drivers that can fight for that on merit, then you should let it happen.
“I think if one of us jumps ahead of the other and, say, Max – or if someone else, but probably Max – is still in the fight, then yes, maybe at some point there needs to be a conversation.
“But I think we’re very far away from that point at the moment.”
As for the Red Bull driver, the race weekend in Barcelona reaffirmed his beliefs that the title fight is most likely over for him already.
Just 25 points behind Piastri heading into the Spanish GP, Verstappen downplayed his title chances, insisting he wasn’t in a direct fight with either McLaren driver.
Red Bull feeling the heat as McLaren sets the pace in title fight
Even Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko admits the challenge ahead is steeper than past title fights – and that McLaren’s current level may be out of reach.
Speaking to Servus TV, he said: “Even with [Sebastian] Vettel, we have recovered 44 points to [Fernando] Alonso.
“Verstappen has already recovered a disadvantage of 46 points. This year, however, it will be very difficult, because we don’t have a car at the level of McLaren.
“As a performance, we manage to be on par with them only once every 3-4 races, they instead have no drops.
“If we don’t fix the problems we have, the disadvantage can only increase. We don’t give up, but we know it will be very difficult.”
Victory at Imola offered a glimmer of hope for Red Bull, but Barcelona reinforced that when McLaren nails its set-up, it’s a formidable force.
While Verstappen’s brilliance – as seen in Japan – will likely shine through again this season, the question remains: are isolated wins enough to derail McLaren’s championship ambitions?
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