McLaren must back Oscar Piastri to stop Max Verstappen

Sep.29 (GMM) Christian Danner believes McLaren’s championship hopes are at risk unless team boss Andrea Stella moves quickly to impose team orders.

The former F1 driver warned that Max Verstappen remains a looming threat for the 2025 title fight. “As a driver, Verstappen is by far a tougher competitor compared to (Lando) Norris,” Danner told motorsport-magazin.com.

“If Red Bull can stay on McLaren’s pace, then I think Piastri will be the one who has to deal with Verstappen.” Norris currently trails teammate Oscar Piastri by 25 points, and Danner insists the team must now commit to one clear number one.

“McLaren is playing the game far too softly and quietly, completely wrong,” he said. “There’s a fast train coming called Max Verstappen, so something has to happen now. The driver with the most points should be number one. Piastri is number one now. Sorry, Lando, but next year it might be your turn again.”

So far, Stella has relied on McLaren’s so-called “Papaya rules”, a framework designed to manage the duo equally, but Danner says the moment for neutrality has passed.

“If I were team principal, I would have made that decision a few races ago,” he added. “If Stella doesn’t dare now, maybe he’s not cut out for Formula 1. He has to secure the title for the team.”