F1 News Today: McLaren pull out of Abu Dhabi media duties as driver slams ‘unacceptable’ team orders

Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, McLaren, Belgium, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News Today

F1 News Today: McLaren pull out of Abu Dhabi media duties as driver slams ‘unacceptable’ team orders

Catch up on the latest F1 headlines ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP weekend

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 5 December 2025 15:37

McLaren F1 drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have both been pulled out of media sessions at this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The pair would usually be expected to face the media on a race weekend, especially heading into their title battle on Sunday, but Sky reporter Rachel Brookes has confirmed that aside from the FIA press conference, neither driver will be allowed to speak to media.

It is believed that McLaren made the decision on behalf of their drivers in order to allow both Norris and Piastri to focus on their championship fight instead.

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McLaren Abu Dhabi team orders labelled 'unacceptable' by F1 star

Mercedes driver George Russell has rejected the idea that McLaren should call team orders if needed in Abu Dhabi this weekend in order for Lando Norris to become champion.

Russell is no longer in contention for the fight himself and backed his fellow Brit to clinch the crown on Sunday over McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.

But the 27-year-old made his views clear that he was against the idea of team orders deciding the winner at McLaren, saying: "I don't think it's acceptable or reasonable to ask a driver who is also in a shot of a championship in the very last race to move over for your team-mate.”

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F1 Results Today: Lando Norris imperious as Oscar Piastri flounders at Abu Dhabi GP

Lando Norris topped the first two sessions of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, with Max Verstappen finishing second.

McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri was forced to sit out FP1 to make way for rookie Pato O'Ward, but there was a gulf of time between himself and team-mate Norris in FP2.

Here are the full results from FP2 and FP1 at the Abu Dhabi GP.

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McLaren boss makes U-TURN on F1 title team orders

McLaren F1 boss Zak Brown has said that team orders may well be implemented at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to help either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri to win the drivers' championship.

In a complete u-turn to the rest of the season, in which Brown and McLaren have implemented 'papaya rules' to ensure that both drivers have an equal shot at the title, Brown has admitted that it would be 'crazy' not to prioritise one driver's race, if they are the only one that can defeat Max Verstappen.

In an interview with Sky Sports ahead of the action at the Yas Marina Circuit, Brown was asked whether the team would expect Piastri to yield to Norris in such a scenario.

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Lewis Hamilton 'surprised he's still standing' after disastrous year at Ferrari

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton has said he has 'surprised himself that he's still standing' after experiencing one of his most difficult years both on and off the track.

The 40-year-old has struggled at Ferrari since making the move from Mercedes and with just one race left in 2025, is still without a grand prix podium.

As the F1 legend reflected on a tricky year ahead of this weekend's season finale, he spoke out about the positive lessons he has taken away from this year, claiming that his resilience is what he has been able to work on the most.

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FIA presidential election result at risk of being overturned after legal action

Next week's FIA presidential election has been allowed to go ahead despite legal action from Laura Villars, who had intended to run for the leading position with F1's governing body.

Villars, Tim Mayer and Virginie Philippot were all potential candidates who had hoped to run against current president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, but a quirk in the rules has essentially left just Ben Sulayem in the running.

This led Villars to take legal action against the FIA and though no decision was made by the court, her lawyer Robin Binsard said: "We will therefore continue this litigation against the FIA before the judges sitting on the merits. A first hearing is scheduled for 16 February 2026."

As such, the outcome of December's presidential election could still be overturned depending on how the hearing goes in 2026.

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F1 team reveal new name as 2026 replacement confirmed

Haas F1 team have announced that they will be known as TGR Haas F1 Team from 2026 onwards.

The team's technical partner Toyota will take over from MoneyGram as the American outfit's title sponsor.

TGR Haas F1 Team will officially reveal their 2026 livery online on Friday January 23, just before private pre-season testing kicks off at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from January 26 until January 30.

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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