McLaren turn up the heat on Piastri after Norris’ dominant test performance whilst pressure mounts on Oscar Piastri – McLaren have sent a clear message to Oscar Piastri that he must improve if he is to secure a long-term future with the team. After a 2024 season in which he was comprehensively outperformed by team-mate Lando Norris in qualifying, the Australian finds himself under increasing scrutiny.
Piastri lost the qualifying battle to Norris by a staggering 20-4 margin, a gap that has not gone unnoticed by the team management. While his race performances have been more competitive, McLaren see his struggles on Saturdays as a significant barrier to becoming a title contender.
During the recent pre-season test in Bahrain, Piastri’s manager Mark Webber acknowledged the weight of expectations on his driver. According to Webber, McLaren are looking for stronger performances from Piastri and the team are not entirely happy with his current trajectory.
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Former driver Robert Doornbos echoed these sentiments, emphasising the high stakes Piastri faces:
“We’ve heard from Webber that the pressure is on. McLaren weren’t too happy with Oscar. He lost 20-4 to Norris in qualifying. This is the moment for him to show why he was given this opportunity at McLaren.
Piastri’s journey to McLaren has not been an easy one, with Webber playing a key role in negotiating his controversial exit from Alpine to secure a seat at the British team. Now the 22-year-old must prove that he belongs at the top level – not just as a promising talent, but as a genuine championship threat.
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Qualifying problems continue for Piastri
While Piastri produced some strong race performances in 2024, his qualifying struggles remain a major concern. In a season where McLaren won the Constructors’ Championship, Norris consistently put himself in better positions to fight for victories, while Piastri too often had to recover from poor starting positions.
Some of the most telling figures from 2024 illustrate the problem:
– Spanish Grand Prix – Piastri qualified 10th, while Norris secured pole position.
– Mexican Grand Prix – Norris started third, while Piastri was 17th.
– Japanese Grand Prix – Piastri got a front row start and won the race, but Norris, who started 17th, made up ground to finish fifth.
There were races where Piastri made up for his poor Saturdays, including strong recovery drives at Monza and Abu Dhabi. But the gap to Norris remains too great. If he is to establish himself as a true team leader within McLaren, he must improve his lap times.
Piastri himself is well aware of the situation and insists that 2025 is a new beginning: “This year is a new beginning. Everyone starts from scratch. Last year I had the chance to show my best side and sometimes Lando and I helped each other, but in the end everything starts again.”
But in F1, new beginnings only last so long. If Piastri doesn’t show clear improvement in the first races of 2025, McLaren may be forced to rethink its driver line-up moving forward.
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A clear number one emerging at McLaren?
McLaren face an interesting dilemma in 2025. While both drivers are young, ambitious and talented, there are signs that Norris is emerging as the clear leader within the team.
The British driver is increasingly being discussed as a legitimate title contender, while Piastri remains in a position where he still has something to prove. If the performance gap between the two continues, McLaren may be forced to introduce team orders to prioritise Norris at key moments in the championship.
Piastri is aware of this possibility, but remains defiant: “We start the season equally, with zero points. There is a chance for both of us to win races. If later in the season one of us has a clear lead, then we will help each other, but hopefully that won’t happen.”
Historically, McLaren have not hesitated to use team orders when the championship fight demands it. If Piastri is unable to close the gap on Norris, he risks being relegated to a supporting role rather than an equal contender.
Internally, the team will continue to push Piastri, as maintaining harmony between its riders is crucial. At the same time, McLaren has a reputation to uphold. After winning the 2024 Constructors’ Championship, expectations have never been higher and the pressure on Piastri will only increase as the season progresses.
Norris gears up for championship battle
While Piastri fights to prove himself, Norris is fully focused on the title battle ahead. The McLaren driver has taken valuable lessons from 2024 and is prepared for a fierce challenge from both Red Bull and Ferrari.
Norris admits he has a strong relationship with Max Verstappen, but is expecting an intense season of competition:
“Max and I have a good relationship. We are both looking forward to more battles like last year. I don’t think it will be just between us, there will be more teams involved, which will make it more exciting.
Unlike Piastri, Norris enters 2025 with a clear goal in mind: to fight for the World Championship. The difference in their approach may become more pronounced as the season progresses.
McLaren’s 2026 decision looms
Although McLaren have not officially commented on Piastri’s long-term future, the stakes are clear. If he wants to stay with the team beyond 2025, he must close the gap on Norris. If he fails to do so, McLaren could start looking at alternative options for 2026.
The driver market is expected to be highly active ahead of the 2026 regulations overhaul, and McLaren will want the strongest possible line-up for the new era of Formula 1. If Piastri continues to struggle in qualifying and remains a step behind Norris, the team may be forced to look elsewhere.
For now, his fate is in his own hands. The opening races of 2025 will be crucial in determining whether Piastri can step up as a championship-calibre driver or if McLaren need to reconsider their long-term plans.
As Webber and other experts have pointed out, McLaren cannot afford to carry a driver who cannot consistently deliver at the highest level.
Piastri has the talent, but now he must prove that he has the pace, consistency and resilience to compete at the very top. Otherwise, the clock may already be ticking on his McLaren career.
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Neither Andrea nor Zak has said anything about being disappointed with Oscar, so such claims are totally made up.
Oscar may have lost to Lando in qualifying head-to-head by quite a margin, but in the races, he wasn’t overly lacking nor did he even perform poorly per se.
Simply put, McLaren is one of those teams that’s unlikely to feature driver changes in the foreseeable future.
Btw, Azerbaijan GP is where he won following a front-row start with Lando starting in 17th position & finishing 5th in the end.
Additionally, Oscar turns 24 this year to be precise.