Stella: McLaren has ‘homework’ to do to tame Piastri-Norris rivalry

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has acknowledged that the Woking-based outfit has some “homework” to do to better manage the increasing intra-team rivalry between drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

With McLaren currently equipped with the best car on the grid and two highly competitive drivers, Stella faces the enviable yet complex task of ensuring team harmony amid their title fight.

And the spotlight turned to the team’s internal dynamics last time out in qualifying in Barcelona when Piastri, while completing his first flying lap, was warned by his engineer about Norris approaching behind, prompting the Aussie to move aside and break the tow, immediately quipping over the radio: “Cheeky!”

Minor Incident, Bigger Lessons

Speaking to the media after the session, Stella addressed the moment and clarified it wasn't a sign of deeper issues between the drivers but rather a reflection of something the team hadn’t fully planned for.

“It was a minor situation,” the McLaren chief said.

“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 that 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 situations 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 homework and be ready even more for the coming races, which surely will be interesting,” the Italian admitted.

That candid admission suggests McLaren is actively fine-tuning how it prepares for high-stakes racing scenarios now that both drivers are in realistic title contention.

Principles Over Pressure

Despite the heat of a title battle, Stella praised the professionalism and maturity of his drivers, noting that the core brief to both remains unchanged, even as the intensity rises.

“The briefing is not getting like tougher. The conversations are the same that we always have,” Stella explained.

“Obviously when the two drivers start one next to each other and there is 800 metres to corner one, you might have to reiterate every detail of the way we go racing together."

“But so far I just 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,” he concluded.

That approach – what McLaren dubs ‘Papaya rules’ – places the team’s interests above individual ambitions. However, the dynamic is inevitably shifting as both Piastri and Norris sit atop the drivers’ standings, separated by just 10 points, while Max Verstappen lurks 49 points behind with 15 races still to go.

The Constructors’ Championship may already feel like a foregone conclusion, as McLaren holds a commanding 197-point lead over Ferrari, but the battle for individual glory is only just heating up.

• Read also: Piastri reveals crucial McLaren edge that Verstappen can’t rely on

With Stella acknowledging that Barcelona exposed an area of improvement for the team’s internal protocols, McLaren will now look to sharpen its handling of intra-team competition.

In a season where every detail could shape the outcome of a tightly fought Drivers’ Championship, Stella’s comments show that even the smallest interactions – like a tow in qualifying – matter.

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