McLaren’s Approach to the Abu Dhabi GP: Equal Opportunities for Piastri and Norris
As the 2025 Formula One season draws to a close, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has reaffirmed the team’s commitment to providing equal opportunities to its drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, in their quest for the World Championship title. Despite the looming threat from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Stella has confirmed that Piastri will be free to battle Norris for the title at the final round in Abu Dhabi.
Piastri’s chances of winning the title took a hit at the Qatar Grand Prix, where a botched race strategy by McLaren saw him slip to third place in the standings behind Verstappen. Championship leader Norris now has a 12-point gap to Verstappen and a 16-point gap to Piastri, with a maximum of 25 points up for grabs in Abu Dhabi. According to Stella, the team’s philosophy and approach will not change, despite Verstappen’s presence in the title battle.
Historical Precedent and Driver Collaboration
Stella referenced the last two times there were more than two drivers in the title fight at the final round – in 2007 and 2010 – where the third-place driver ahead of the final race emerged as champion (Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 and Sebastian Vettel in 2010). “Oscar, from a points point of view, is definitely in condition to win the title,” Stella said. “We have seen before in the history of Formula One that when you have this kind of situation, sometimes it’s the third one that actually wins.” Stella also mentioned that the team will discuss scenarios whereby it may make sense for one driver to help the other during the race, but emphasized that all parties would have to agree beforehand.
McLaren’s Racing Approach and Principles
Stella emphasized that the team’s approach will be guided by its fundamental principles, which include fairness, integrity, and transparency. “We want to be fair to our drivers, we want to race with integrity, and we want to race in a way that doesn’t surprise our drivers,” he said. The team will have further conversations with Piastri and Norris before the Abu Dhabi GP to confirm their racing approach, but Stella assured that the team will respect the drivers’ aspirations and allow them to compete for the title. As Stella noted, “There will be no call which excludes the other driver when the other driver is in a condition to win.”
With the Abu Dhabi GP just around the corner, the stage is set for an exciting conclusion to the 2025 Formula One season. Will Piastri, Norris, or Verstappen emerge as the champion? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain – McLaren’s commitment to equal opportunities and fair play will be on full display.
