Lando Norris Hints Clean Racing Won’t Save McLaren from ‘Downward Spiral’

Lando Norris hinted that McLaren might get stuck in a downward loop even if he and Oscar Piastri do not get involved in on-track incidents.

Lando Norris Hints Clean Racing Won’t Save McLaren from ‘Downward Spiral’

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (via Getty)

McLaren has emerged as the dominant force in the 2025 season. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have enjoyed a significant pace advantage against the competition so far. This has resulted in a close contest between the two McLaren drivers for the world title, with a fallout at the Canadian GP. However, Norris reckons that even if the two manage to stay free of such incidents, the Woking-based team could still lose its position at the front of the grid.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri form one of the strongest driver pairings on the current grid. The British driver is more experienced than his Australian counterpart, having made his debut four seasons before Piastri. This experience came in handy last year when Norris pushed for the championship against Max Verstappen. Albeit, he could not come close to claiming the title.

This time around, Piastri and Norris are their own biggest rivals. With on-track battles going to a point where the Briton ended up colliding with his teammate and retiring from the race. This could make McLaren consider using team orders to avoid such grave incidents.

Lando Norris pointed out that he has shared a good working relationship with Piastri since the latter joined McLaren in 2023. The two have worked together to bring the Woking-based team to the front of the pecking order. However, Norris claimed that there have been times when even clean racing has not stopped a team from getting stuck in a downward spiral, perhaps hinting that McLaren should not think of enforcing team orders just yet.

I think we work very well as team-mates, I think we’ve helped the team in a very good way. There have been plenty of examples of things not going as smoothly as they have done and teams then going on a downward spiral.

Lando Norris said, as reported by GPBlog

Lando Norris wants to defeat Oscar Piastri in 2025

Norris is one of the most ambitious drivers on the grid. The Briton hopes to claim his maiden world title this season after spending over half a decade with McLaren. Over the years, the 25-year-old has proved his worth at Woking, even annihilating Daniel Ricciardo during their time as teammates.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (via F1)
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (via F1)

Lando Norris highlighted that he has always had positive relationships with his teammates. However, when it comes to the track, the Briton does not care about anything other than winning. Norris made it clear that his only aim inside the car was to defeat the competition, including his teammate. As such, the McLaren star will not be ready to settle for a second-place spot behind Oscar Piastri.

I’ve always got on with my team-mates, because that’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Of course, it’s not even a question, I want to beat them, and I’ll do whatever I can to beat whoever I’m against, and that includes my team-mate.

Lando Norris stated

It is no surprise that Lando Norris wants to defeat Oscar Piastri. Defeating your teammate is the most important part of any driver’s campaign. Unfortunately, the Briton is one who is on the backfoot this year with his less-experienced teammate bagging five victories already. Norris is running out of time to showcase his performances to the team this season, if he does not want to face the risk of team orders.

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