Bernie Ecclestone Accuses McLaren Of “English Bias” Amidst Oscar Piastri sabotage claims
Bernie Ecclestone hit out at McLaren for potentially favoring Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri and having a British bias within the team.
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Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (via Getty), Bernie Ecclestone (via F1)
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McLaren is currently facing a lot of backlash after a string of controversial team orders over their drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Since the beginning of the year, the team was firm on the decision that they would not interfere between the two drivers with team orders.
Now, the team backtracked on their decision and asked the drivers to swap positions at the previous Italian GP, which caused further problems for them. Now, ex-F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone slaps some major accusations on the British constructor.
In the recent races, Lando Norris has seemed to have the upper hand following his dominant performances. However, a botched pit stop at the Italian GP meant that Norris would’ve lost his P2 finish to Oscar Piastri.
The team then demanded that the Aussie give back the position, which he did after some back and forth. Now, during the Singapore GP, the team turned a blind eye to the Briton’s controversial move and did not ask him to give back the position.
Because of this, many people are accusing the team of a British bias, as they are seemingly favoring Lando Norris over the Aussie Oscar Piastri. Bernie Ecclestone delivered a bold take on the team’s current situation, especially as Norris clinched the title lead against Piastri following the former’s stellar win at the Mexico GP. Ecclestone simply declared that the team preferred the English driver in the 25-year-old.
Further, Bernie Ecclestone pointed out that Lando Norris has more star quality and marketing appeal for McLaren as compared to Oscar Piastri. Moreover, the Briton had a better camera presence and publicity, which benefited the team in the long run. As such, it was better for the Woking-based constructor to favor their British driver over Piastri.
McLaren prefers the English driver Norris, He has more star quality and marketing appeal for them, has more camera presence and publicity. That’s probably why it’s better for McLaren.
Bernie Ecclestone told sport.de.
Bernie Ecclestone claims Oscar Piastri ‘upset’ by Lando Norris being favored
Oscar Piastri is certainly witnessing everything that is going on within McLaren. The Aussie has been unable to keep up with his winning pace and is suffering from a mysterious performance slump. On the contrary, Lando Norris seems to be enjoying a stellar pace in his car and has kept up with positive performances.
As such, Bernie Ecclestone pointed out that Oscar Piastri was visibly upset and tired by the alleged British bias in the team. The 95-year-old continued that the discussions on these matters also upset Piastri.
Ecclestone added that the pressure was also mounting on the Aussie, and he was becoming frustrated by the issues within the team. The ex-F1 Supremo reiterated that Lando Norris was clearly being favored, and this was only fueling the 24-year-old’s frustrations.
You can tell that Piastri is upset and tired by this, and that the discussions about it annoy him, The pressure is mounting, and Piastri is frustrated that he can no longer win races so easily and that Norris is obviously favoured within the team.
Bernie Ecclestone noted.
The 2025 season is nearing completion and has just four races to go. Lando Norris is leading the title charge with just a single point over Oscar Piastri. Certainly, the upcoming races will be extremely interesting and cutthroat between the championship leaders. As such, time will tell which driver manages to emerge victorious in the end and win it all.
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