Max Verstappen has warned Oscar Piastri that “you sell your soul” if you give in to team orders without a clear reason, referencing his supposed tolerance to McLaren intructions last year.
The Australian was 34 points ahead in the Drivers’ Championship after the resumption of the summer break, before notable incidents curbed his progress.
At Monza, Piastri was instructed to hand back second place to team-mate Lando Norris, after inheriting via the Brit’s botched tyre stop.
Other moments, such as his Turn 1 brush with Norris in Singapore and the infamous strategic blunder in Qatar ultimately contributed to Piastri losing the title, finishing behind both Norris and Verstappen.
McLaren’s double title success in 2025 was won via its ‘team first’ principles, insisting that no driver would be given preferential treatment, regardless of title credentials.
It was questioned whether it almost cost the Woking-based squad the Drivers’ Championship, with Norris winning it by only two points, the team having sewn-up its retention of the Constructors’ title at Singapore.
Speaking to German publication Blick, Verstappen was asked whether he would have complied to orders similar to that of Piastri’s in Monza, had they been presented to him.
“Definitely not,” he responded.
“If you do that once without a clear reason, you sell your soul. The team can then do whatever it wants with you.
“And let’s not forget: Piastri was in the middle of the title fight.”
McLaren’s defence of both titles will be fraught as F1 begins a new era of regulations, with Red Bull and Verstappen beginning it under a new powertrain alliance with Ford.
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