Inside McLaren's Controversial Team Orders That Defined Their 2025 Title Win
Despite winning both 2025 championships, McLaren's season was defined by controversial team orders that created tension between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, sparking debate over the team's management of its drivers.
McLaren's 2025 season was a paradox of dominant performance and internal strife. While Lando Norris secured his first drivers' title and the team clinched its second consecutive constructors' championship, their year was overshadowed by a series of controversial team orders. These decisions repeatedly put the team's 'Papaya Rules' to the test and fueled tension between their two championship-caliber drivers, Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Why it matters:
How a team manages its drivers when a championship is on the line is a true test of leadership. McLaren's decisions risked destabilizing their dominant campaign and could have easily cost them the titles. The recurring friction highlights the immense difficulty of balancing team objectives with individual driver ambitions, a dynamic that will define their partnership moving forward.
The details:
- Australia: In the season opener, Piastri, running second, was told to hold position behind Norris due to traffic and wet weather concerns. A frustrated Piastri later spun and finished ninth.
- Britain: Piastri was leading the British GP before receiving a 10-second penalty. After serving it, he asked to be given the lead back from Norris, but the team refused the request.
- Italy: A slow pit stop for Norris cost him a place to Piastri. The team ordered Piastri to swap back, a move that proved crucial in helping Norris deny Max Verstappen a fifth consecutive title.
- Singapore: Norris hit Piastri while battling for second on the opening lap. Piastri demanded the position back, which was denied, though Norris later faced internal "repercussions" for the incident.
Between the lines:
The Italian Grand Prix order stands out as the most significant, as it directly influenced the drivers' championship outcome. However, the pattern of decisions consistently favored Norris, raising questions about the team's long-term strategy for Piastri. While McLaren achieved its goals, the manner in which they managed their drivers left a lingering sense of what could have been a more harmonious, albeit equally dominant, championship victory.