Where’s Oscar? McLaren ‘team’ photo says a thousand words.
“Our last team pic of the year,” McLaren posted triumphantly… …someone was missing from the photo… Piastri.
13 Dec 2025
Peter Maniaty
Sporting News

“Our last team pic of the year,” McLaren posted triumphantly from its headquarters in Woking, Surrey, with hundreds of staffers crowded excitedly around their new F1 World Champion Lando Norris.

Only trouble was, as many observers quickly noticed, someone was missing from the photo who had a rather significant role in the constructors’ and drivers’ world championship battles for McLaren in 2025: Piastri.

“Think you’re missing a pretty important part of the team in this pic,” commented one follower.
“Team pic? I didn’t know you only had one driver…” replied another.
“Let me guess Oscar took the picture,” said another.
With Piastri contracted to McLaren until the end of 2028, the next few seasons promise to be interesting to say the least—‘papaya rules’ or not.

‘McLaren ‘team’ photo’;

https://www.sportingnews.com/au/form...7f2288326f66a4


Australian TV keeps taking swipes at McLaren for alleged ‘Norris bias'
13 Dec 2025
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

The narrative that Oscar Piastri was not being treated equally by McLaren continues in Australian media, after another TV segment was introduced this way. Following a Piastri interview with Australian media ended after the season finale in Abu Dhabi, a TV presenter said: "Let’s hope Oscar can do it next year… if McLaren don’t work against him."

Now, on Australian TV channel 10 News+, in a segment on how much money Piastri earned this year, a different presenter began: "When Australia's Formula 1 weapon Oscar Piastri lost out in the Drivers' Championship in Abu Dhabi this week, the entire country felt robbed.”

"Throughout the season, his team McLaren had seemingly preferenced his teammate and eventual champ Lando Norris, but this might soften the blow a little, at least for Piastri, with word today he will receive a $41 million bonus."

‘Australian TV keeps taking swipes at McLaren’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/austr...ed-norris-bias


George Russell privately felt sorry for Oscar Piastri over 2025 controversy, ‘he didn’t deserve that’
13 December 2025
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

George Russell felt Oscar Piastri’s British GP penalty was wrong. Piastri is regarded as an unflappable driver but there was one moment above all in 2025 where he appeared to be seething. The Australian was on course for victory at the British GP until he received a 10-second penalty for driving erratically just before a safety car restart. The subsequent delay at his pit stop handed the win to Lando Norris. Piastri, who felt the penalty was unfair, optimistically asked McLaren if they would consider swapping the cars back. This gambit failed, and the 14-point swing is even more painful in light of the final standings.

Speaking on the F1 Show, Sky Sports pundit Karun Chandhok revealed that GPDA chief and Mercedes star George Russell sided with Piastri over the incident. “I reckon he lost 31 points, including the disqualification in Vegas, and Lando lost 36 points between the non-finishes and the disqualifications,” Chandhok said. “Silverstone, I felt that was really harsh. The safety car turned the lights off really late. You watch the onboards, and I spoke to some other drivers, including George Russell, who was in that queue, who thought he didn’t deserve that. The point is that I think he’s been on the wrong end of the penalties on a couple of occasions.”

‘He didn’t deserve that’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/geo...-deserve-that/


Herbert sees Piastri eyeing exit from McLaren after Norris’ title triumph
11 Dec 2025
Samson Ero
GPblog.com

Johnny Herbert has suggested there is a possibility that Oscar Piastri could leave McLaren following Lando Norris’ championship triumph. “At this moment in time, I can see Oscar Piastri looking to move on from McLaren. As things stand, he may feel so frustrated that he wants to look elsewhere,” Herbert began.

However, the former Sauber driver questioned such a decision, highlighting how the McLaren outfit has proven capable of delivering a championship-winning car. “But why would you want to move on from a team that can actually supply you with the car to win the World Drivers’ Championship?” he added. “If he moved to Ferrari, for example, there is no guarantee at all that he would get a chance of being World Champion. If he moved to Mercedes, there’s no guarantee either. The team that’s in the moment is McLaren, and arguably Red Bull,” he continued.

Herbert, however, suggested a move to the Red Bull Racing outfit could offer Piastri such a chance, though having Max Verstappen as a teammate could present its own challenges. “Those are the only places where you’re probably going to be able to win a World Championship. But one of them has Max in the seat. Would he want to go into that environment?” he concluded.

‘Herbert sees Piastri eyeing exit’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/herbe...-title-triumph


Lando Norris will be worried about what McLaren staff keep saying privately about Oscar Piastri
11 December 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

McLaren CEO Zak Brown was quick to praise Oscar Piastri on the team radio as he crossed the finish line at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, despite missing out on winning the drivers’ championship. Nico Rosberg wasn’t a big fan of Brown’s message to Piastri, but it highlighted something important about the way McLaren have conducted themselves this season.

Journalists Nate Saunders and Laurence Edmondson have now shared what staff within McLaren keep saying about the 24-year-old. McLaren staff think Oscar Piastri has a higher ceiling than Lando Norris. Saunders was speaking about Piastri on the Unlapped Podcast and explained: “I don’t buy this idea that there’s been a favourite in one way massively.

“I think he’s come off worse, maybe in the 50-50s. But I think he handled that pretty well, Piastri. You know, and he was very self-reflective.” Edmondson replied: “I think the one thing which we hear consistently about Oscar from the team is that he is incredibly intelligent and incredibly good at taking on lessons from the realities of Formula 1, from the issues that face him during a race.”

‘What staff within McLaren keep saying’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/lan...oscar-piastri/