McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has shared his thoughts on the relationship between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the pressure to deliver, and the expectations for the remainder of the 2025 F1 season as the championship battle rages on with ten rounds to go.
Owing to his thrilling victory at the Hungarian GP, Norris has cut teammate Piastri’s lead in the Drivers’ Championship to just 9 points heading into the summer break.
Given the massive 299-point lead they currently have over Ferrari, the Woking-based squad hoisting the Constructors’ trophy for a second consecutive year is all but a given.
Meanwhile, with the gap between the McLaren duo and their next best rival in the Drivers’ standings steadily widening, the team clearly has the luxury of allowing its drivers to freely compete in the two-way race for the title.
However, an intense intra-team rivalry also poses certain challenges—from strained interpersonal relationships to clashes on track.
As the F1 community witnessed back in June, Norris crashed into his McLaren teammate Piastri in the final laps of the Canadian GP and retired from the race. In Hungary, it was the Australian who made a late lunge, and the subsequent lock-up nearly led to a collision with his teammate and rival.
With Piastri and Norris more or less evenly matched so far with six and five wins respectively, the 2025 Drivers’ Championship battle will likely go down to the wire. Thus, it remains to be seen how McLaren handle the competitive pair on track and whether the infamous “papaya rules” can keep the wholesome team spirit intact when one of them inevitably wins their maiden F1 title.
Relationships key to F1
Speaking in a press conference ahead of the Hungarian GP, Andrea Stella reflected on how the dynamic between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris has evolved since the team orders controversy that shrouded the Australian’s maiden F1 victory at Hungaroring last year. He also claimed that their investment in such interpersonal relationships within the team is as instrumental as aerodynamics to achieving sustained success.
Furthermore, the 54-year-old revealed how McLaren had assessed the 2024 Hungarian GP from both individual and collective perspectives and that they drew on the difficult lessons to move forward together.
“If anything, the relationship between Oscar [Piastri] and Lando [Norris] keeps improving.
“This is not the effect of a random evolution. This is because we invest in relationships. When I refer to fundamentals of Formula 1, relationships are probably slightly less tangible, but I think they are as fundamental as aerodynamics. This involves the relationship between drivers and the team and between the drivers themselves.
“If I take the race we had last year in Hungary, we spent quite a lot of time reviewing that individually with the drivers and together. We tried to learn from each other as much as possible. We reminded ourselves that Formula 1 is difficult, and we are always going to face some difficulties. This is an awareness we need to have.”
Stella lucky to have two drivers who prioritise their own careers and McLaren’s future equally
With regard to how much confidence he has taken from the way Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have maintained a cordial relationship this season despite the intensifying title fight, Andrea Stella responded that he is grateful to have two ambitious yet reasonable drivers who are not only chasing personal glory but also further cementing the legacy of this historic F1 team.
“What can we do to improve? What can we do as a team to make sure we have a framework that allows Lando and Oscar to pursue their aspirations, always protecting the interests of the team.
“Once again, I’m a lucky team principal because the two drivers are very reasonable, very fair, very correct, humble, and above all, they understand that we are here not only to pursue our interest in the present but also to protect the future of their own careers and of McLaren Racing.”
Stella unwilling to confirm if Norris is under more pressure
Lando Norris certainly headed into the 2025 F1 season as the favourite to contend for the title between the McLaren teammates after finishing runner-up in the Drivers’ Championship last year. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri ended up fourth in the standings, 82 points adrift of his teammate.
In terms of whether Norris, who boasts the experience of competing in 82 more races than Piastri, finds himself under more pressure to win the championship this season, Andrea Stella was reluctant to provide a definitive answer.
Instead, the McLaren team principal highlighted the Australian’s impressive adaptability since his junior formulae days and noted how both drivers have matched each other on track since the season opener in Melbourne.
“As you say, Lando may have a bit more experience in terms of number of races. He started the season in Australia with a strong result, but ultimately, in Australia, Oscar was there with Lando. Oscar lost points in Australia just because we had the sudden rain in the final part of the circuit.
“I think one of Oscar’s qualities is to learn very fast, very rapidly. He has demonstrated it in his career, winning pretty much first year in all the junior categories. He has demonstrated it at McLaren.
“Now we have Lando and Oscar driving and operating at very, very similar levels.”
McLaren drivers on equal footing make for great spectacle in F1
Referring to the changes they had made to the launch version of the MCL39 and the challenges Lando Norris faced as a consequence, Andrea Stella explained how their recent upgrades have allowed the McLaren duo, albeit with somewhat different configurations, to harness their natural driving styles better.
Proclaiming that they sought to nurture an environment where the drivers could engage in lively battles on track and deliver on the spectacle element of the sport, the Italian admitted that he expects the intense rivalry to continue until the end of the season.
At the same time, Stella expressed caution that they shouldn’t rule out the possibility of a Max Verstappen comeback with a significant number of races remaining. Nonetheless, he added that they are concentrating their efforts on ensuring that the battle for the F1 Drivers’ Championship is settled between the McLaren teammates.
“This season, what we have to acknowledge as a team is that we have made some modifications to the launch version of the car that actually affected Lando’s driving style.
“We made some upgrades which mean that right now some of the settings used by Lando and Oscar are slightly different, but we are pleased that now both drivers can drive to a certain extent in a natural way. They can express their talent, and we see that they are very, very close.
“This makes it a great spectacle for Formula 1, this is what we wanted to achieve as a team. I think it’s going to be very interesting until the end of the season.
“But I wouldn’t exclude Max [Verstappen], for instance, being in the game. So, we are very wary. We remain concentrated, but we want to put our drivers in a position to sustain their quest until the end of the season.”
