Despite failing to win for the third race in a row, McLaren wrapped up a well-deserved Formula 1 constructors’ title with third and fourth in the Singapore Grand Prix.
The result comes with six races still remaining to underline its dominance across the season and add to the teams’ championship it secured last season, marking the first consecutive constructors’ crown McLaren has earned since winning four on the bounce with Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Gerhard Berger between 1988 and 1991.
But the result was overshadowed by the first signs of fractures between the racing relationship in the team — drivers’ championship leader Oscar Piastri and teammate Lando Norris — as the drivers attention turns to the fight for their own title.
Fractures starting to show?
Piastri has forged a reputation for his level-headedness and calm behind the wheel of an F1 car since arriving on the grid with McLaren in 2023, with that seen as a potential advantage for him in the title race over Norris and his tendency to be self-critical.
The duo have also managed to remain friendly and team-focused across the season so far with no flashpoints, despite a number of opportunities for relations to sour, not least when Norris retired in Canada after running into the back of Piastri.
But there was a first sense of anger from either side when Piastri reacted strongly to a move from Norris at the start of Sunday’s race at the Marina Bay Circuit.
Piastri started third on the grid and directly ahead of Norris on the right-hand side of the start-finish straight – the latter jumping ahead of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli from the grippier half of the track.
Norris then moved to the inside for Turn 3 as the pack concertinaed behind leader George Russell – the McLaren making contact with the rear of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. With Piastri on his outside, Norris had to correct and that slide sent him into the sister car with some force.
Piastri was fortunate not to be shoved into the wall in a scene reminiscent to the crash between former Force India teammates Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon at the same corner in 2018 and his frustration was clear on team radio, in conversation with race engineer Tom Stallard.
McLaren battle: As it happened on Piastri’s team radio
Piastri: “So are we cool with Lando just barging me out the way or? What’s the go there?”
Stallard: “We are reviewing it.”
OP: “I mean that wasn’t very team-like, but sure.”
TS: “As a team, we see Lando had to avoid Verstappen, so we won’t take any action during the race. We can review further afterwards.
OP: “Mate, that’s not fair, that’s not fair.
TS: “We’ll have the opportunity to review together afterwards. Focus on the race, mate.”
OP: “If he has to avoid another car by crashing into his teammate then that’s a pretty s**t job of avoiding.”
No change to Papaya Rules
Addressing the incident, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown told Sky Sports UK: “I think like all race weekends, you review everything.
“First corner, it looks like Max and Lando either touched or had to check up, so it was clearly an exciting Turn 2 incident. Tough racing but when you have three or four cars stacked up, that’s going to happen every once in a while. So we will look at it in more depth on Monday, but clearly just hard racing.”
Insisting there would be no change of tactics in the final six races, team principal Andrea Stella explained: “The two drivers were already in condition to race and pursue their aspirations. So we will continue with this approach. Every race, we learn a little bit and fine tune but it is a matter of details.”
The move was crucial for Norris as it gave him track position to dictate strategy and have the chance to take on Verstappen for second, though he would ultimately be unable to get past the Red Bull.
This led to further unrest on team radio later in the race as Norris was asked whether he would be willing to allow Piastri to pit first to ensure there was no risk of the Australian being undercut by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
That had happened before at the Italian Grand Prix, where Norris obliged and allowed his teammate to box earlier despite being behind on track. But that led to unwanted controversy as a slow stop for the Briton left him behind Piastri when reemerging from the pitlane, with McLaren then ordering a swap of positions to reinstate the status quo.
Norris was less forthcoming with aid for Piastri this time, however, and kept the strategic high ground. The second stop of the two was again over five seconds in time, though Leclerc was unable to overhaul the gap to get ahead.
It is clear then that the drivers are beginning to drive more for themselves than had previously been the case and that may not be such a bad thing now that the constructors’ championship has been sewn up.
But they will need to ensure that there is no lingering ill-feeling heading into 2026 as well, where the entire team will hope to replicate its success as F1 enters a new regulatory era.