McLaren Could Face Early Driver Choice in F1 Title Race, Says Martin Brundle

According to Formula 1 analyst Martin Brundle, the McLaren team might need to make an early decision on which driver to support in this year`s F1 championship battle: Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris.

Heading into this weekend`s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Piastri holds a 16-point lead over Norris. McLaren`s highly successful Sprint weekend performance helped them close the gap to Max Verstappen, who now sits 32 points behind the championship leader.

The Miami race marked McLaren`s strongest showing so far this season, with their drivers finishing over thirty seconds ahead of George Russell in third place. Russell is currently 38 points adrift of Piastri after the first six rounds.

Brundle commented that McLaren`s challenge is compounded if rivals like Max Verstappen and George Russell consistently perform well, noting that Mercedes is bringing significant updates to Imola. He suggested that while all teams will likely improve, the presence of strong competitors means Piastri and Norris risk taking valuable points away from each other.

“They`ve got to be careful that they`re not so focused on each other that somebody else comes in and wins the championship, as Alain Prost did in 1986,” Brundle warned.

In contrast to McLaren, Verstappen doesn`t have concerns about a teammate significantly impacting his points tally and has largely maximized his results, keeping him a realistic contender for the title.

Red Bull and Mercedes are relying on upcoming upgrades during the next three races and a regulatory change concerning flexible wings at the Spanish Grand Prix later this month, which could potentially narrow the performance gap to McLaren.

Brundle explained that waiting until a driver is mathematically out of championship contention, which might not happen until late in the season, could be too late for McLaren. He suggested the team might need to make a strategic decision earlier, depending on how the situation unfolds, although he anticipates they won`t consider this until at least the summer break.

Does Verstappen Race Piastri Differently Than Norris?

The race in Miami provided the first real, sustained wheel-to-wheel action between Verstappen and the McLaren drivers.

While Piastri had previously overtaken Verstappen in wet conditions in Melbourne and showed aggressive driving in Saudi Arabia, these moments didn`t fully demonstrate their head-to-head racing skills.

Last year, Norris encountered Verstappen`s assertive style, with Verstappen often coming out on top and denying Norris potential victories in races like Austria, the USA, and Mexico City.

When asked if Verstappen treats the McLaren drivers differently in a race, Brundle replied, “100 percent, unquestionably.” He believes Verstappen recognizes that Oscar Piastri possesses a more `street fighter` mentality, which was evident in Jeddah. Brundle suggested Max perceives a slightly different challenge when Piastri is behind him compared to Lando.

He highlighted Piastri`s decisive car placement during overtakes. Despite this observation, Brundle praised Norris`s race craft, describing his passes on the Mercedes and eventually Verstappen as `top drawer`.

Brundle reiterated his certainty that Max understands Piastri is a different kind of opponent in direct wheel-to-wheel combat.

He added that Lando`s car positioning during overtakes isn`t “quite as decisive” as Piastri`s currently, something he expects Norris will learn and improve upon. Brundle believes this is the current dynamic but doesn`t think it will remain the same throughout the season.

Is Piastri the Championship Favorite?

Heading into the current season, Norris was often seen as a co-favorite for the championship alongside Verstappen, especially after outperforming Piastri last year and with McLaren on an upward trend.

However, since his error at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix where he ran wide and spun, Piastri has reversed the momentum, outscoring Norris by 39 points across the subsequent five events.

Brundle commented that Piastri “looks like absolute world championship material,” having won four of the last six races. He pointed to Piastri`s impressive rate of improvement and ability to learn quickly. While acknowledging Piastri showed this potential late last year, Brundle admitted he didn`t expect it to manifest “in such style so quickly.” He described Piastri as “just winning, winning, winning,” appearing confident and composed, possessing the necessary qualities. Brundle concluded that Piastri`s race craft is “a touch stronger than Lando’s.”