’Pressure on’ for Piastri and Norris, says Berger

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has pushed back on growing speculation that the team is favouring Lando Norris in the title fight at the expense of struggling teammate Oscar Piastri.

Speaking on F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast, Brown dismissed the idea that one driver had been prioritised.

"I’d rather have a driver overtake our drivers, who are tied on points, than have to tell one of them right now, ’I know you dream of winning the world championship, but we’ve decided you’re not going to get it this year. Forget it,’" he said.

Referencing McLaren’s own history, Brown said he would prefer a situation like 2007, when Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton warred internally until Kimi Raikkonen won the title for Ferrari.

Sky pundit Martin Brundle agreed, insisting the idea of favouritism "makes no sense".

"I assure you, the team won’t spend $400 million a year, hire 1,500 employees, and try to make one of the cars slightly slower," Brundle said. "Everyone involved with Oscar’s car will expect him to bounce back.

"His first half of the season was incredible - you don’t just forget how to do it."

However, Sky Deutschland’s Peter Hardenacke claimed that tension is rising behind the scenes, hinting that Piastri and his manager Mark Webber could already be exploring options elsewhere.

"I don’t think I saw Webber without his phone once all weekend," Hardenacke said, recalling the most recent grand prix in Mexico. "I have a feeling he and Piastri are eyeing the driver market. It’s a difficult situation."

F1 legend Gerhard Berger also defended Piastri, telling Corriere dello Sport: "Ups and downs happen.

"When you have two teammates of similar calibre, the pressure is on - and it would be the same for Verstappen if there were another Max."

But not everyone is so patient. On the Pelas Pistas podcast, former F1 driver Christian Fittipaldi warned that Piastri’s slump must end immediately.

"If Piastri doesn’t get out of that hole he fell into in Baku, he’ll never get out again," he said. "His results - fifth, sixth - are unsustainable while the others are winning. In Interlagos, Lando will be the one to get the best conditions."

Meanwhile, Ralf Schumacher believes Piastri could already be on Aston Martin’s radar.

"The voices in the paddock are clear - Aston Martin is urgently looking for a change, perhaps for 2026 or 2027," he said on Backstage Boxengasse. "One of the candidates is Oscar Piastri - I can say with reasonable certainty that those conversations are already taking place."