McLaren F1 boss hints at team orders for Abu Dhabi title showdown

McLaren F1 boss Andrea Stella has hinted at issuing team orders at this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Following the colossal mess that was McLaren's strategy at last weekend's Qatar GP, the team head into the 2025 finale with Lando Norris leading the standings.

But Max Verstappen is now just 12 points behind the Brit in secon, and McLaren's second driver, Oscar Piastri, sits in P3, four points behind the Dutchman and 16 points away from his team-mate.

So, a three-way title fight is set with this weekend's Abu Dhabi GP marking the first time that more than two drivers have been in contention for the title since 2010, but will we McLaren have to give out team orders to prevent Piastri from picking up his first title?

All Norris needs to do to pick up his maiden championship is finish on the podium in Abu Dhabi, but, there are plenty of potential scenarios awaiting him this weekend where he may need the help of his team-mate to ensure Verstappen doesn't steal the crown.

Considering that Piastri is also in the title fight however, this would not be an easy decision for the Aussie driver to agree to.

Stella: 'There will be discussions before Abu Dhabi'

McLaren have been accused many times this season of favouring Norris over Piastri, meaning the potential for team orders to come into play in favour of the Brit must be approached delicately prior to the final race weekend.

And speaking ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP, Stella has revealed that McLaren intend to do just that.

As quoted by Sky Germany, Stella said: “I think that every decision we make regarding our drivers’ collaboration must adhere to some of our core principles, which are fundamental to our approach."

The McLaren team principal then added: “We want to be fair to our drivers, we want to race with integrity, and we want to race in a way that doesn’t catch our drivers off guard. Therefore, there will be further discussions with Lando and Oscar before Abu Dhabi. We will confirm our approach to racing, but I can definitely say that we will respect it if one of the drivers is in a position to win the title."

"There will be no decision that excludes the other driver if he is in a position to win," the Italian continued.

"So we will see how the situation develops, but I can definitely say that there will be discussions and that there will be a way to run the race in such a way that the team and the drivers are pulling in the same direction, just as we always have."

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