At 94, former F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone still can't resist stirring the pot – this time by hinting that McLaren might be deliberately slowing down Oscar Piastri in the 2025 title race.
With four races to go, the McLaren duo of Piastri and Lando Norris are locked in one of the tightest intra-team battles in years, separated by a single point after Mexico City.
But while most see it as a straight fight between two young stars, Ecclestone has hinted at something more… conspiratorial.
‘Something’s holding him back’
“When the season started, I thought our Australian driver would be world champion,” Ecclestone told sport.de. “I thought he would win easily but something’s holding him back.
“I don’t know what it is, I don’t know if it’s McLaren holding him back or what. There was a bit of a problem inside the team I understand where it looked very much they were favouring the British driver.”
Yes, the man who once ran Formula 1 like a corporate monarchy now suspects McLaren of internal politicking worthy of a Netflix script. It’s a bold claim – one McLaren would almost certainly dismiss as nonsense – but Ecclestone has never been deterred by trivialities such as evidence.
The reality, according to McLaren, is that Piastri’s recent dip is down to the Australian’s driving style clashing with the low-grip tracks of Austin and Mexico.
But that explanation, while perfectly reasonable, lacks the drama of a good old-fashioned team conspiracy – and Bernie has always preferred the theatrical version of events.
‘Star quality’ and the Norris factor
Ecclestone didn’t stop there, of course. He went on to muse that McLaren might want Norris to win the championship, if only because he’s the more marketable face of the team.
“I think he would fall into the star quality more,” Ecclestone added. “I think from that point of view, I think he would act better.
“He likes the TV, he likes the camera, he likes whatever. I suspect the journalists [like him]. I suppose that’s better for McLaren.”
It’s a vintage Ecclestone take – a mix of blunt observation and mischievous provocation.
Brundle Rubbishes Sabotage Theory
Over at Sky F1, Martin Brundle has laughed off suggestions that Piastri’s getting a raw deal from McLaren.
“Rest assured, a team doesn't spend $400 million a year and have 1,500 employees and try to make one of their cars go a little bit more slowly,” the former F1 driver told the Sky F1 podcast.
“Everybody associated with Oscar's car will want him to turn that around soon, as in Brazil. His season early doors was so astonishing, you don't suddenly forget how to do that.”
Brundle reckons it all boils down to a confidence crisis for Team Papaya’s talented Aussie.
“Something has just gone wrong and he's lost a bit of confidence. The way these cars go into corners and how close the competition is at the moment, you only need to be a touch off. He needs a very solid weekend.
“Has he got a lot going on in his ears? We described him as horizontal for pretty much all the season, because that's how he looked.
©McLaren
“He always has been so calm on the radio, not letting things get to him, and suddenly that glass ceiling or that facade, whatever it is, seems to have gone from him and he's struggling.”
So, in Ecclestone’s world: Verstappen’s pure, Norris is charming, and Piastri is possibly being shackled by his own team.
Whether anyone inside McLaren takes that seriously is another matter entirely. But for a man who’s seen, said and done it all, Bernie’s latest headline-grabbing theory proves one thing: even in retirement, he still knows exactly how to keep the F1 paddock talking.
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