McLaren set clear condition for favouring one driver in F1 championship fight

McLaren have confirmed they will only prioritise one of their drivers in the F1 title race once it is no longer mathematically possible for the other to compete for the championship.

The 2025 F1 title race is hotting up following Max Verstappen’s latest victory at the United States Grand Prix.

With five races and two sprints to go, Verstappen is just 40 points behind Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ championship.

The destiny of the title is still in Piastri’s hands, as he can afford to finish second behind Verstappen at the remaining five rounds and still finish ahead. 

However, the momentum is with Verstappen.

Piastri’s form has taken a hit recently, losing out to Lando Norris in recent races. Norris sits 14 points behind his teammate ahead of this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix.

Stella has confirmed that McLaren will continue to let their drivers duke it out for the title, even with Verstappen in contention.

“The fact that there are five races and two Sprints means that we can also increase the gap to Max, that’s how I see things,” Stella told reporters in Austin.

“We have good tracks coming for our car and I think we have more that we could have exploited out of our car and to some extent, the drivers, I think, they recognise themselves that they could have done a better job in some of the previous races.

“So I think we look at the next five races as opportunities to increase the gap on Max and, when it comes to having to make a call as to a driver, this will only be led by mathematics.

“We talked before about the experience and leaning on the experience, I can recall at least 2007, 2010, in which you go to the last race and it’s actually the third that wins the championship.

“So we are not going to close the door unless this is closed by mathematics.”

McLaren’s dip in form

McLaren have endured a dip in form since the Italian Grand Prix.

At first, it was thought that Monza and Baku simply didn’t suit the McLaren package, given both circuits require low downforce and top speed.

George Russell then dominated the Singapore Grand Prix, winning ahead of Verstappen.

At COTA, a circuit which was expected to suit McLaren, Verstappen was more than a match for Norris.

Norris’ race was compromised by being stuck behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Without that, Stella felt Norris had the pace to challenge Verstappen.

“When I say something, I mean it. It’s not like, if I say it, I think it’s because of the experience, it’s because of understanding the trend, understanding the circuits that we were going to face from Baku onwards,” Stella added.

“For me, there’s no mystery. We know that when Max has the material to win, he becomes a very serious candidate to win.

“So it doesn’t change what our understanding of the situation is. It doesn’t change what we do. We just have to keep maximising the performance and keep executing good weekends.”