McLaren’s dominance in the 2025 Formula 1 season continues, but their drivers’ fierce battle for the championship has raised concerns about team harmony.
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has urged the Woking-based outfit to hold urgent discussions with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to prevent their rivalry from derailing their campaign.
After 14 rounds, Piastri holds a slim nine-point lead over Norris in the drivers’ standings. Their intense competition came to a head at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where the McLaren duo nearly collided in a dramatic fight for the win.
Norris secured the team’s 200th grand prix victory with a bold one-stop strategy, fending off a late charge from Piastri, who locked up his tyres on a daring move at Turn 1 on the penultimate lap.
The Australian’s aggressive lunge came within 0.698 seconds of disaster, threatening to rob McLaren of a one-two finish.
Schumacher, who competed in F1 from 1997 to 2007 for Jordan, Williams, and Toyota, described the near-miss as “more luck than wisdom” on Sky Sports Germany’s F1 podcast, Backstage Boxengasse.
He pointed to underlying tensions, suggesting Piastri’s manager, Mark Webber, may have expected his driver to emerge as McLaren’s leading star. “You can see the pressure building,” Schumacher said. “Webber likely thought Piastri would join McLaren and become their superhero, but the team maintain equal treatment for both drivers.”
McLaren’s leadership, including CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella, have consistently emphasised fairness between their drivers. Brown has said both Norris and Piastri have raced cleanly, with no incidents causing friction.
“I’ve asked them individually if their teammate has ever done anything to annoy them, and both said ‘never’,” Brown revealed after the Hungarian Grand Prix.
However, Schumacher warned that without intervention, the team could face trouble. “They need to sit down and calm things down, or we’ll see a furious Zak Brown on camera because they’ve driven each other off the track,” he said.
The Hungarian Grand Prix showcased McLaren’s strength, with Norris and Piastri securing their fourth consecutive one-two finish. Norris, starting third, dropped to fifth after a bold move on Piastri at the first corner but recovered with a strategic masterstroke, staying out longer to make the one-stop work.
Piastri, who pitted early to challenge Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, found himself chasing Norris in the closing laps but couldn’t overtake. “I pushed as hard as I could, but overtaking here is tough,” Piastri said post-race.
“I needed to be a couple of tenths closer, and it would’ve taken a mistake from Lando.”
As Formula 1 heads into its summer break, McLaren lead the constructors’ championship by a commanding margin, with 559 points to Ferrari’s 260.
The drivers’ title fight, however, remains tight, with Norris closing the gap to Piastri. Stella praised their racing ethos, saying, “Lando and Oscar raced firmly but fairly, showing what it means to be McLaren drivers.” Yet, with 10 races remaining, the team must navigate this intense rivalry to maintain their dominance.
The action resumes at the Dutch Grand Prix on August 31, where Norris and Piastri will battle over 72 laps of the 4.259-kilometre Zandvoort circuit. Fans eagerly await whether McLaren can keep their drivers’ competitive fire in check while chasing both championships.
