McLaren has backed itself into a corner where it could unintentionally create one of the most anticlimactic finales Formula 1 has ever seen. And the strangest part? In this nightmare scenario, Lando Norris wouldn’t be the triumphant hero—he’d be the one people claim the title fell into, rather than earned.
The pressure has been tightening around the team for weeks, and the cracks have begun to show. The Las Vegas Grand Prix was the first major wobble: with the ride height set too low, both McLarens were disqualified before the race had even begun to take shape. Then came Qatar, which was even more painful—not because the car lacked speed, but because the strategy fell apart in a way no one could quite explain.
While every other team took advantage of the free pit stop under the early safety car, McLaren stayed put. Andrea Stella later admitted that they thought pitting would drop them into traffic. Somehow, they were the only team that came to that conclusion. Oscar Piastri, leading the race on merit, was left out. And Norris wasn’t brought in either, even when Max Verstappen peeled into the pits. Was it to avoid upsetting the balance between their two drivers? Was it simply a case of overthinking? Or, as some have begun to wonder, was Norris being protected?
Depending on who you ask, that choice not to split their strategies smelled suspiciously like the team trying too hard to treat both drivers identically—so much so that they ended up hurting both. A double stack would have cost Norris positions, and if that played any role in the decision, it would be easy to see why Piastri’s camp is frustrated. The Australian did everything right that Sunday. What he didn’t do was receive the call that could have secured him the win. You don’t see Piastri visibly annoyed very often, but in Qatar he wore it clearly.
And his frustration hasn’t come out of nowhere. After building a healthy buffer over Norris earlier in the season, Piastri has watched that advantage disappear through a series of unfortunate races. In Monza, he ceded P2 to Norris. In Singapore, he was tapped by his teammate at the start—an incident that earned no team orders in his favor. While no one believes McLaren would deliberately undermine him, it’s also hard to imagine his entourage feeling that the team is firmly in his corner either.
Meanwhile, Norris himself had an unusually subdued weekend in Qatar. With his first championship “match point” on the table, he couldn’t produce the form he’d shown in the weeks prior. A podium in the sprint was the lone highlight; Sunday brought only fourth place, saved partly by a mistake from Kimi Antonelli. Without that error, Norris might be heading into Abu Dhabi needing P2 instead of P3 to seal the title.
And that’s where things get messy. McLaren have one of the strongest cars on the grid, so in theory, Norris securing third at Yas Marina should be straightforward. They have a full set of practice sessions to fine-tune the package, and the track should suit the MCL38. But pressure doesn’t care about logic. If Norris looked shaky in Qatar, what happens when the entire championship rests on one race?
For Piastri, the situation is even stranger. He may be far behind Norris on points, yet there exists a narrow path where he can still snatch the world title—he wins, and Norris finishes sixth or worse. But the real complication comes if Verstappen is leading, Piastri is ahead of Norris, and Norris is hovering just outside the required championship position. Piastri wouldn’t be able to win the title in that situation… but Norris could, if his teammate moved aside.
It’s a scenario Stella has already said would justify team orders. Picture it: Verstappen in P1, Piastri in P2, Norris P4. Verstappen wins the title unless McLaren instruct Piastri to slow down, sacrifice his own podium fight, and let Norris through—twice. One to let Norris take P3, and another to drop Piastri behind him. Can you imagine the fallout? It would be one of the most deflating endings the sport has ever seen.
And what would that mean for Norris? Michael Schumacher carried the weight of Austria 2002 for years, and that was only a race victory. A world title handed over by team orders would follow Norris for the rest of his career. Even if the championship counted the same on paper, fans don’t forget moments like that. The boos wouldn’t be temporary; they’d become part of his story.
So here we are: one race to go, and Norris is the only title contender who controls his own destiny. All he needs is P3. If he can’t manage that, he’ll have to rely on a team order and a very cooperative teammate—neither of which he’ll want to depend on. Abu Dhabi suddenly looks less like a victory lap and more like a pressure cooker, one that could explode in the most dramatic or disappointing way imaginable.
One thing’s guaranteed: the season finale will not be quiet. Not with this much at stake.
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