McLaren boss Andrea Stella has denied that managing Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri is getting “tougher” as the pair’s fight for the Formula 1 title in 2025 intensifies.
The Woking-based squad’s bid to add the Drivers’ Championship to the Constructors’ crown it achieved last season was strengthened with another 1-2 result in Spain.
With Max Verstappen’s late-race penalty demoting him to 10th, Oscar Piastri’s advantage over the closest non-McLaren driver in the standings has grown to 49 points.
Verstappen, who is close to earning a race ban, expressed that McLaren’s conspicuous pace advantage with the MCL39 ensured that he isn’t in that battle, regardless.
But while Norris and Piastri have avoided a collision in the opening nine races, there was an incident that piqued interest as they contested pole position in Barcelona.
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Norris capitalised on acquiring a tow on his team-mate as he began his initial Q3 lap to grab provisional pole, an occurrence that Piastri labelled “cheeky” on the radio.
However, when asked whether that provided a reminder about the potential challenges awaiting McLaren, Stella revealed how it served as a lesson more for the team.
“It was a minor situation,” Stella told media including Motorsport Week.
“We always tell our drivers, like, ‘don’t leave anything in the back of your mind. Anything, throw it out. Say what you think’.
“In this case, I think Oscar’s comment was to highlight a situation that we didn’t discuss before.
“In itself it’s not anything too controversial, but we sort of did not discuss that before and we don’t want to surprise our drivers with a situation that we didn’t discuss before.
“So, a little bit to take on for the team rather than for the drivers. We have to do some more homework and be ready even more for the coming races, which surely will be interesting.”
McLaren lauds drivers over title approach
Piastri, who beat Norris in Spain to extend his lead to 10 points, has claimed that neither driver will resort to “unsportsmanlike” tactics that create irreparable damage.
Stella lavished praise on Norris and Piastri for their continued adherence to the principles that have driven McLaren’s success, even amid their own personal interests.
“The briefing is not getting tougher,” the Italian divulged. “The conversations are the same that we always have.
“Obviously when the two drivers start, one next to each other, and there is an 800 metres to corner one, you might have to reiterate every detail of the way we go racing together.
“But so far, I can only be very grateful to Lando and Oscar, who have approached this internal competition with a great sense of responsibility and pretty much sticking to the letter to what are our racing principles and approach.”
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