Oscar Piastri brutally honest over McLaren Norris relationship: 'We crossed the line'

Norris and Piastri looking gloomy with a black and orange edited square background — Photo: © IMAGO

McLaren F1

Oscar Piastri brutally honest over McLaren Norris relationship: 'We crossed the line'

Oscar Piastri has opened up on his relationship with team-mate Norris

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 29 April 2026 21:57

McLaren F1 star Oscar Piastri has opened up on his relationship with team-mate Lando Norris during their 2025 world championship battle.

Norris and Piastri previously held a brilliant off-track relationship, but that was put to the test last season as both drivers found themselves in the fastest car on the grid.

Amid McLaren's dominance, both Piastri and Norris managed to fight for the drivers' championship, winning seven grands prix apiece.

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Norris ultimately came out on top, staving off the threat from Piastri and four-time world champion Max Verstappen to win his maiden world championship title at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Since then, neither McLaren driver have come close to winning a grand prix, although Piastri did manage to come a distant second at the Japanese Grand Prix last time out as McLaren look to close the gap to Ferrari and Mercedes.

Their poor start to the season has given them a chance to reflect on last year, where Piastri failed to secure the championship despite leading the standings from April-October.

Now, the Australian driver has revealed how his relationship with Norris was throughout this period, as the two drivers were involved in some controversial incidents, including at the Canadian Grand Prix when Norris crashed into his team-mate.

"We never had to confront each other," Piastri told the High Performance podcast. "But I think we both kind of knew if we'd crossed the line ourselves and went, 'my bad.' And the team held us accountable."

Will McLaren be in a title fight this year?

While a battle for either championship is looking like a stretch for McLaren this year, there are only three races gone, and the five-week break that we have had in the schedule could just suit them.

McLaren have the dominant power unit in the back of their cars, being a customer team of Mercedes.

On top of this, they have one of the most talented driver duos on the entire grid, two drivers who know what it takes to be involved in a championship battle.

Despite a dismal first two grand prix weekends, McLaren's performance in Japan last time out was encouraging, with Piastri finishing second and Norris in fifth. Whether or not they can start picking regular race victories and bring a challenge to Mercedes will entirely depend on how they have spent this past five weeks, and how any upgrade packages that they have developed perform at the upcoming races.

F1 McLaren Lando Norris Oscar Piastri