Ex-Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher has claimed that McLaren has made a major decision regarding Lando Norris’ future in 2025.
Schumacher alleged that McLaren has “internally decided that Oscar Piastri is the man” to lead them to a world championship, citing Norris’ error-prone ways as a key factor in their decision.
McLaren has the fastest car on the grid at the moment and is topping both championships, with Piastri 22 points clear of his teammate, with Max Verstappen not far behind.
The Woking-based team has had a "let them race" mentality throughout the season, however, eyebrows were raised after Norris crashed out of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Lando Norris took full responsibility for the incident at the Canadian Grand PrixPA Schumacher stated: "I believe that it is now internally decided that Piastri is the man the team will focus on in terms of the World Championship. Lando shows too many weaknesses and makes too many mistakes, including his senseless driving into the back of Oscar in Canada."
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So far this season, McLaren has maintained it does not have a lead driver, but the revelation from Schumacher may show a change of course for the Papaya team, as they seem to switch their focus to the Australian as their future star.
Norris openly admitted he made a mistake after his crash in Canada, which Schumacher praised.
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Lando Norris was forced to retire after hitting teammate Oscar Piastri in Canada
GettyHe said: "He has apologised and that shows what a great person he is."
However, he added a stern caveat, stressing: "But it's no use because great people rarely win titles."
McLaren’s Andrea Stella acknowledged the high risk of their competitive tactics, which may lead to incidents such as Canada.
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"Obviously it's an episode which cost him championship points," Stella said.
"It's an episode that for his own admission he said, 'the principle was clear, I just made a misjudgement'. He never came to say, 'let's talk about it'. This may have an impact in terms of his confidence, but it's up to us as a team to show our full support to Lando."
Oscar Piastri is apparently now the man at McLaren
GettyIt remains to be seen whether or not McLaren will favour one driver over the other, but there may come a time this season when Max Verstappen gets too close for comfort.
The teams will be hitting the track after a few week's break, with McLaren and Red Bull hoping for a good result in Austria to continue their championship charge.
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