Mario Andretti has singled out one thing McLaren must do if they are to secure their first drivers’ championship since 2008 this season.
The reigning constructors’ champions are clear favourites to clinch both titles this term, with the team enjoying a healthy pace advantage over the rest of the field so far in 2025.
Oscar Piastri currently heads teammate Lando Norris in the standings by 16 points, seemingly relishing the opportunity to notch his maiden world championship. Jacques Villeneuve hasn’t been shy about praising the Aussie recently, with the 1997 world champion comparing Piastri to Lewis Hamilton.
McLaren were lamented for their slow decision-making last season, which some argue cost them a real shot at the drivers’ title in 2024.
Andretti knows what it takes to win a championship, immortalising himself in F1 folklore after running out victorious in 1978, and believes McLaren can’t afford to make the same mistakes as last year.
Mario Andretti urges McLaren to make decision in light of their championship battle
Commenting on the situation, the 85-year-old selected examples through history which don’t bode well for McLaren.
“When you have two capable winners in the same team, where do you go from there?” Mario Andretti said on the Beyond the Grid podcast.
“Only one can win. We’ve seen that in 1973 with Emerson Fittipaldi and Ronnie Peterson taking points away from each other, and neither won the championship.
| Driver | Oscar Piastri | Lando Norris |
| Wins | 4 | 1 |
| Podiums | 5 | 5 |
| Pole Positions | 2 | 1 |
| Points | 131 | 115 |
“I think the only way to deal with that is you have to keep it open until mid-season, then whoever is leading points mid-season, that’s the one that is number one. Then the other one has to relinquish and help.
“It’s a wonderful place to be, but at the same time, there will be a critical decision to be made at some point. I wouldn’t want to be the one to make that decision.”
Can McLaren afford to prioritise one driver?
Although we are only six races into the 2025 Formula One campaign, it has become quickly apparent that it may be a two-way, McLaren-shaped fight for the drivers’ title this year.
Andretti’s concerns are warranted, as history has shown that two teammates taking points off each other can prove fatal come the end of the year.
Hamilton and Fernando Alonso arguably cost each other the 2007 championship, which ironically came when the duo represented McLaren.
Kimi Räikkönen slid in to take the title that year, after scoring the majority of Ferrari’s points and becoming their clear contender as the season progressed.
The likes of Max Verstappen and George Russell parallel Räikkönen’s situation this year, already established as their team’s No.1 driver, meaning they would be solely backed if a championship opportunity emerged.
Despite this, McLaren’s pace advantage is so large at this moment in time that the pair should be clear of any external competition.
As a result, the team would risk potentially alienating their drivers by prioritising one over the other at this point in the year.
Norris and Piastri both have the potential to score multiple championships throughout their careers, so it wouldn’t make sense to favour one driver and risk losing another when the team doesn’t really need to.
Piastri has enjoyed the upper hand over his teammate this year, enjoying an advantage over Norris, who has faced challenges since Bahrain’s pre-season testing.
This means that although Andretti has issued his warning, it isn’t likely that McLaren will make a decision this season, at least if the Woking-based team can maintain their pace advantage throughout.
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