An Australian senator has used a federal committee hearing to question McLaren’s handling of Oscar Piastri after a costly strategy call in Formula 1‘s Qatar Grand Prix.
The incident stems from McLaren’s decision not to pit either Piastri or Lando Norris under the early Safety Car on Lap 7 during the race at the Lusail International Circuit.
Max Verstappen pitted and gained the race lead later on. McLaren stayed out, forcing both drivers into two full-length pit stops later because of Pirelli’s mandated stints.
The choice dropped Piastri from a winning position to second, while demoting team-mate Norris to fourth, ensuring that the title battle will go down to the last weekend.
It was enough for Senator Matt Canavan to raise the issue in the Senate Rural, Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee.
“It’s been a bit of a frustrating night for some Australians,” said Canavan.
“I don’t know who to ask this to, but you deal with transport and cars. So do you think McLaren is biased against Oscar Piastri and costing him the World Championship?”
Canavan did not state why he believes McLaren would deliberately undermine Piastri, but Theories of internal bias have circulated on social media throughout 2025.
Piastri is one of three contenders still in the title hunt, alongside Norris and Verstappen. His Qatar result dropped him to third in the standings, behind the Dutchman.
Brown ‘frustrated’ with accusations against McLaren
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has recently pushed back against claims the team favours Norris, describing the continued accusations levelled at the team as “frustrating”.
“People are so uninformed with stuff,” he told The Sports Agents.
“Unfortunately in today’s social media world and clickbait headlines and everything, the facts are just so wide of the mark sometimes.”
Brown admitted that staying silent on social media criticism is not easy.
“I’m very thick-skinned,” he said. “It’s even kind of weird, I kind of enjoy some of the harassment because it’s so ridiculous. Unfortunately my comm[unications] team won’t let me reply.”
The team now heads to Abu Dhabi with Piastri needing a win and hoping Norris finishes sixth or lower to stay in the fight. The political spotlight, however, adds a new layer of tension to McLaren’s already pressure-filled title showdown.
READ MORE – Oscar Piastri denies McLaren’s racing principles contributed to F1 Qatar GP strategy fumble
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