McLaren boss Andrea Stella insists that the team’s in-house title battle between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri won’t spiral into chaos – despite just one point separating the pair heading into the final four races of a thrilling 2025 Formula 1 season.
Norris arrived in Brazil as the new championship leader, having edged ahead of Piastri in Mexico, while Max Verstappen lurks 36 points behind. But as McLaren enjoys its most competitive season in years, the question looms: can harmony hold when both drivers are fighting for the crown?
Stella isn’t worried. After a season filled with close calls – from Monza’s team orders debate to flashpoints in Singapore and Austin – he believes McLaren’s culture of openness and “dialogue” will keep the peace.
“I don't think that's the case,” Stella said when asked if the title run-in could fracture the Norris-Piastri relationship.
“Obviously, both drivers have known for a long time that the car was competitive, so they knew that there was a possibility to fight for the championship. But I don't see that this is escalating in anything more than focusing each of them on their own weekend and try to extract the maximum.
“This requires a high level of dialogue, but this is something that normally we can do well at McLaren.”
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Despite outside criticism over McLaren’s “papaya rules”, the team’s approach has served it well, so far.
The outfit’s willingness to let its drivers race freely – while managing fairness through private discussions and structured reviews – has kept the championship alive without descending into dysfunction.
Aware of the Stakes but Not Naive
Stella, who was on the Ferrari pit wall when Kimi Räikkönen snatched the 2007 title from warring McLaren teammates Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, knows better than most how quickly harmony can unravel.
“The history of Formula 1 is certainly a source that we've been using on how to approach managing two number one drivers that are in contention for a world drivers' championship,” he reflected.
“I am personally very proud of our two drivers, our engineers. They collaborate in a way I think that we have not seen before in the history of Formula 1.
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“We are not naive. We know that the pressure is high, we know that the stakes are big, but we will continue leaning on our framework, on our principles, on the good conversations.
“And so far, what I've seen is that Lando and Oscar have always been very supportive. Yesterday Oscar talked very clearly about the mutual respect, the mutual support that is happening between himself and the team and likewise is happening with Lando.
“We are not naive, but we will work very hard to make sure that this position stays until the end of the championship.”
McLaren’s “two number ones” policy is a bold throwback in an era dominated by clear hierarchies.
But Stella’s confidence – and his drivers’ composure – suggest that Woking may have found the secret to doing what others couldn’t: running a title fight in-house without tearing the house down.
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