Former F1 driver criticizes McLaren’s decision on Piastri and Norris

Former Formula 1 driver Derek Daly believes McLaren’s approach to managing its drivers is not sustainable in the long term.

In the 2025 season, the team allowed Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to freely fight among themselves for the championship because McLaren was at the head of the peloton from the beginning of the year. However, at the end of the season, Max Verstappen unexpectedly returned to the fray and benefited from Red Bull’s upturn in form.

In the end, Norris became champion by just two points ahead of Verstappen, while Piastri finished the season in third place in the general classification.

Despite Verstappen’s growing threat, McLaren refused to bet on a single driver, allowing the team to make a decision only before the final stage of the season when there was a danger of losing the championship.

“This will be a problem for them.

If Max Verstappen had not had a bad period in the middle of the season, he would have been world champion because Red Bull has unconditional support for him.

They will do everything possible, just like Ferrari did with Michael Schumacher. “McLaren has come through this year but it is extremely difficult, if not almost impossible, to support two drivers wholeheartedly when competing against a team like Red Bull that is only trying to get one driver to beat the other two.”

Red Bull’s form took a turn for the worse in the middle of the season, with Verstappen frequently missing the podium. According to Daly, this fall cost the Dutchman his fifth consecutive championship.

“Verstappen is undoubtedly the best driver in Formula 1. This season he has proven once again that to win, all components must work at the highest level. His failures in the middle of the championship have been very costly.”
That’s why Verstappen is still the best driver.”