(Motorsport-Total.com) – What began as a heated fan debate eventually landed in the Australian Parliament. A national senator had publicly put forward the theory that McLaren might have disadvantaged Oscar Piastri in the 2025 title fight. Now the Australian himself reacts – and finds clear words.
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“Yes, I saw that,” says Piastri looking back. “And I think for me, the most important takeaway from it was just how much everyone was cheering along.”
The accusation itself? Groundless for him. “There were certainly no bad intentions last year. And I think as a team we know that there are things we could have done better, things we could have done differently – and I know that too.”
Then he becomes unmistakable: “But at no point were there any bad intentions and certainly no sabotage, as I have read a few times.”
Title fight with open visor
The 2025 season was a high-flyer for Piastri for a long time. Five wins in the first nine races, consistently strong, fully in the title race – initially against teammate Lando Norris, later also against Max Verstappen.
But in the second half of the season, the balance of power shifted. Verstappen put together a strong run, Norris scored more consistently after the summer break – Piastri fell back to third place in the overall standings.
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At the center of the discussion was McLaren’s philosophy: two equal number 1 drivers. The team let both race against each other – with the clear rule not to take each other out of the race. For many fans, it was pure racing. For critics, a strategic error.
An Australian senator even raised the question after the Qatar strategy fiasco whether McLaren had cost his compatriot the world championship. Team principal Zak Brown had already reacted sharply to this and described the politician as “very poorly informed and uneducated.”
Mistakes yes – intention no
Piastri himself remains objective. “That’s part of racing. Some things go the way you want them to, some don’t.” He admits that not everything was perfect: “We know as a team that there were things we could have done better.” But that was an internal learning process – not targeted action against him.
The decisive factor is how you react to it. “We have worked very hard to clean up some of the things we didn’t do right last year.”
The focus is on the future – and the calendar is kind to him. The 2026 season begins from March 6 to 8 with his home race in Melbourne. “I am confident that we can do a better job overall in 2026,” says Piastri.
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