{"id":389848,"date":"2025-09-01T18:11:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T18:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/389848\/"},"modified":"2025-09-01T18:11:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T18:11:12","slug":"should-mclaren-now-just-let-norris-and-piastri-race-with-no-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/389848\/","title":{"rendered":"Should McLaren now just let Norris and Piastri race with no rules?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Formula 1’s race for the drivers’ title took a dramatic twist at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday as Lando Norris retired and lost 25 points to race-winning McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.<\/p>\n

The gap between the duo now stands at 34 points with nine rounds of the season remaining, with the battle yet to have hit a fuse to trigger fireworks.<\/p>\n

So should McLaren be unleashing its driver duo for a full-blooded battle to the end and allow them to race completely freely? Our writers debate.<\/p>\n

Stuart Codling – F1 needs oomph in its narrative
\n \"Lando <\/p>\n

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren<\/p>\n

Photo by: Joe Portlock \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Many people will of course say an unequivocal \u201cno\u201d but I\u2019m going to say \u201cyes\u201d. And I know I\u2019m not alone because at least one team principal has had a word in Andrea Stella\u2019s shell-like to suggest it might be a good idea.<\/a>
\u00a0
Andrea, sadly, is not sold.
\u00a0
But what F1 needs right now is a dose of oomph in its narrative because it\u2019s clear Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri aren\u2019t fighting on track \u2013 or at least, any heavy ordnance is being discharged into the air rather than at each other. The way they both upped their pace towards the end of their second stints during the Dutch GP gave a hint of how much pace they have in reserve.
\u00a0
The constructors\u2019 championship is in the bag, barring an unfortunate succession of DNFs. Ferrari and Mercedes are being all \u201cmeh\u201d about who finishes second, and rightly so. Red Bull Racing is still a one-driver team and much less of a pantomime now that Christian Horner has gone.
\u00a0
If Bernie Ecclestone were still holding F1\u2019s reins he would have been doing his proverbial nut right now. You could imagine double or even triple points being put on offer at certain grands prix to prevent the final rounds from becoming tedious dead rubbers, as if F1 had somehow been crossed with Scrabble.
\u00a0
As the late Patrick Swayze\u2019s character said in the seminal 1980s action flick Roadhouse:\u00a0\u201cBe nice, until the time comes to not be nice.\u201d
\u00a0
What F1 needs right now is more petulant cap-tossing in the \u2018green room\u2019 between team-mates. Or we may as well just call it now and devote every press conference to matters arising from 2026 development \u2013 because that\u2019s the way it\u2019s going right now.<\/p>\n

Oleg Karpov – Jeopardy for McLaren’s successful culture
\n \"Lando <\/p>\n

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren<\/p>\n

Photo by: Andrea Diodato \/ NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re an outside watcher, the random F1 fan with no strong preferences for any driver, you\u2019d wish one thing from McLaren, really \u2013 now, when it\u2019s inevitable that the papaya team will clinch its second consecutive constructors\u2019 title, it should just lift all internal rules of engagement for how Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris can fight each other.<\/p>\n

More so, let the garage split into two camps, let them decide on their own strategies and simply \u201clet it roll,\u201d as Toto Wolff mentioned, admitting regrets about how he handled the Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg battle.<\/p>\n

From a media perspective, that\u2019s the way to go. It creates animosity, offers ground for drama, rivalry and controversy. There\u2019s nothing better invented for the showbiz and entertainment world \u2013 and never will be. Two camps battling for the biggest prize is the ultimate billboard for any sporting contest.<\/p>\n

Yet, if you\u2019re Andrea Stella, it offers more than just a fight between his two drivers. It jeopardises the foundation on which McLaren\u2019s recent success was built. The \u201cteam first\u201d approach \u2013 the principles he talks about almost every weekend during his encounters with the media \u2013 is what made his team so dominant.<\/p>\n

There\u2019ll always be those who know better: he was advised on how to handle the team dynamics last year, when Lando Norris was chasing Max Verstappen. He won\u2019t be short of opinions on how to manage the current campaign, with both Norris and Piastri fighting for the main prize. But as he stayed true to the principles that McLaren was built on then, he needs \u2013 and will \u2013 stay true to them now.<\/p>\n

Because unleashing the drivers won\u2019t only bring sparks and fireworks; it may damage the two drivers\u2019 relationship too. Something that was so carefully and finely managed can easily be ruined by escalation \u2013 but the world won\u2019t stop after 2025, even if it feels like a distant future now. McLaren will need their two drivers working together more than ever over the next few years to keep the trophies coming to Woking.<\/p>\n

What happened in Zandvoort, knowing Stella, probably hurts him more than it hurts Norris. Because as a team leader, it\u2019s his responsibility to apply the same culture in dealing with drivers \u2013 which means offering them equal chances in their fight. What happened last weekend clearly hampered Norris\u2019 chances without him doing much wrong.<\/p>\n

Yet it\u2019s still not a reason to look for ways to \u201cpay him back.\u201d Not least because it\u2019s thanks to McLaren that Norris (still) has the chance to fight for the world championship \u2013 and thanks to exactly the foundations that championship bid is built upon.<\/p>\n

In this article<\/p>\n

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