Oscar Piastri insists that his relationship with McLaren teammate – and championship rival – Lando Norris remains not only intact but "probably better than ever", even as the pair enter the decisive final stretch of a fiercely contested Formula 1 title fight.
With three rounds and a sprint to go in the 2025 season, Norris holds a 24-point lead over Piastri, while Max Verstappen lurks just another 25 points behind the Australian. It is the closest three-way fight F1 has seen in several years – and remarkably, McLaren continues to refuse to back a single driver, sticking to its “may the best man win” philosophy.
That approach has kept both drivers free to race, though flashpoints in Canada and Singapore earlier in the campaign illustrated how fine the line can be when neither side is willing to yield. Even so, Piastri maintains that the internal dynamic at McLaren has only strengthened.
What Happens On Track Stay On Track
Speaking on a recent Beyond The Grid podcast, Piastri said his rapport with Norris has not deteriorated under the weight of the title battle. If anything, the opposite has happened.
“It’s exactly the same, or honestly, probably better than it has been,” the Australian driver said.
“It’s better because we just know each other more now. We’ve been together for our third year as team-mates, and we slowly get to know each other more and more.
“It’s probably in a better place than it ever has been, and we’re both the kind of people who believe that what happens on track stays on track.
“Maybe there are short-lived emotions off the track, but we’re both quite good at letting things die down and, again, leaving things on the track.”
McLaren’s only firm instruction to its drivers this year has been to keep their racing clean – an edict both have respected for the majority of the season, even while trading wins, lap records and tense wheel-to-wheel battles.
United Approach Inside the Garage
Piastri added that despite the rising stakes, their working collaboration inside the team remains unchanged.
“From that side of things, it’s really not changed. The way we’re still trying to get the most out of the team is exactly the same.”
The 24-year-old Grand Prix driver has endured a tougher run in recent races, slipping behind Norris in the Drivers’ standings after a sequence of weekends without a podium since Monza. But with four scoring opportunities left, he remains well within striking distance of the championship lead.
As McLaren holds firm on its no-favourites policy, the sport heads into its final acts with one of its most compelling intra-team battles in years – and, if Piastri’s words are anything to go by, one of the healthiest.
Read also: Steiner blasts McLaren for not contesting Piastri’s Brazil penalty
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