McLaren F1 stars hurtling towards 'awkward' incident

McLaren

McLaren F1 stars hurtling towards 'awkward' incident

McLaren's F1 driver line-up are locked in for a championship battle

Kevin McKenna

Thursday 21 August 2025 13:50

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McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris must face up to the reality of an 'awkward' situation next season, according to one former F1 star.

The pair are currently embroiled in a fierce battle for a maiden world title, with Piastri holding a nine-point advantage going into the final 10 races of the season.

Despite the circumstances, there has been no hint of the relationship between the team-mates breaking down, with both actively encouraged by team chief Zak Brown to race hard and fair over the coming months.

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It remains to be seen how the partnership will develop next season with only one able to come out on top, but seven-time race winner Juan Pablo Montoya believes there is no chance the defeated driver will look to move elsewhere as a result.

When asked in an interview with CoinPoker whether there will be a change to the lineup in 2026, the Columbian replied: “No, because they both have contracts.

"Whoever wins would create an awkward situation for a while, but they’ll get over it.

"But was [Ayrton] Senna politically correct? Was Senna correct in the way he won races and championships? No. Was [Alain] Prost fair? No. Was Lewis [Hamilton] fair? No. Schumacher? No. Was Max? No.

“What is interesting for me is that you hear Zak saying, this is Lando's era. It's an interesting thing because you haven't heard Zak saying, this is Oscar's era. He's always said this is Lando's era.”

Zak Brown is more than happy to let his two star men battle it out on track

Norris carrying momentum in title fight

Piastri has held the upper hand for much of the campaign, but had been pegged back somewhat prior to the summer break.

Since running into the back of his colleague at the Canadian Grand Prix in mid-June, Norris has won three of the four subsequent races to reduce the deficit.

The season resumes in Zandvoort next weekend, where another victory for Norris - on the track where he triumphed last year - could see the Brit move to the top of the standings.

Despite the immense pressure on his shoulders, the 25-year-old looks to be in a relaxed frame of mind after being spotted behind the wheel of a classic car while on holiday last week.

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