Max Verstappen welcomed McLaren’s decision not to implement team orders in support of Lando Norris ahead of the three-way fight for the drivers’ title at the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix — and delivered two words of advice to Oscar Piastri had it not gone that way.
Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every practice, qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
Red Bull’s four-time champion, who is level with McLaren’s Piastri 24 points adrift of Norris with two events remaining, said he was not surprised by the rival outfit’s move.
“You can’t do a better job than allowing them to race, because why would you suddenly now say that Oscar wouldn’t be allowed to race him (Norris) anymore,” Verstappen said.
The Dutchman colourfully added that if he were ever to find himself in such a situation with his team, he would be unequivocal in rejecting the order.
“If you’re a real winner and a racer, as a driver, then you go for it, even if you are behind,” he said.
“If that was said to me I would have not rocked up. I would have told him to ‘F off’. So yeah, if you’re a real winner in a race, as a driver, then you go for it – even if you’re behind.
“I mean, otherwise, what is the point in turning up?
“Otherwise, you can just easily label yourself as a number two driver, which I think he (Piastri) doesn’t want to be.
“For me, I know that I am equal on points with Oscar and a lot still needs to go right, but I think it should be like that — that they are free to race and hopefully, we can make it a great battle until the end.”
Verstappen won in Las Vegas last weekend when both McLaren drivers were disqualified — a result which hauled him back into real contention for a fifth title.
But the 28-year-old knows that Norris can take his crown if he can outscore him and Piastri by two points this weekend.
“It’s definitely a better chance than it was before that (their disqualification) so we take it,” he said.
“You need to also be aware that even if you win everything, you still need a bit of luck so we’ll see how that goes. For us, nothing changes. We go all in. We have nothing to lose.”
MORE F1 NEWS
Piastri’s former trainer opens up on gruelling F1 title run-in ahead of Qatar crunch race
Max snatching the title is no longer a pipe dream. McLaren must face an uncomfortable question
Lando Norris talks to the media ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)Source: AP
‘THE ANSWER IS NO’: PIASTRI’S EMPHATIC ANSWER ON TEAM ORDERS
Verstappen’s comments come after Piastri revealed that the possibility of helping teammate Norris was floated in talks at McLaren before being swiftly rejected.
Piastri made it very clear that as things stood he had no intention of abandoning his own bid for glory in favour of helping his McLaren team-mate.
“We’ve had a very brief discussion on it and the answer is no,” the Australian said.
“I’m still equal on points with Max and I’ve got a decent shot of still winning it if things go my way. So, yeah, that’s how we’ll play it.”
While Piastri conceded he is an “outside shot” to win the drivers’ championship, currently sitting 24 points behind Norris, he said he is going to give it his best shot in the final two weeks of the season.
“I know it’s not impossible,” said Piastri.
“I can’t just rely on having a perfect final two weekends… I need other things to go my way, and I’m very aware of that.
“I’m just going to try and have the best weekends I can, which I try and do every weekend, and see what happens to everyone else.”
Piastri’s family cheering him on | 02:58
Meanwhile, Norris denied that Verstappen is a clear bigger threat to his own title ambitions, declaring the Australian “is capable of exactly the same as what Max can do”.
“I view them both the same. They’re both just as good as one another,” added Norris.
Norris insisted he was feeling calm and composed ahead of Sunday’s race, where he could win his first drivers’ world championship title.
Unperturbed by the double disqualification of himself and McLaren team-mate and title rival Piastri in Las Vegas last weekend, the 26-year-old Briton told reporters he was completely at ease ahead of this weekend’s showdown.
“I feel as relaxed now as I was before when I was 35 points behind and I feel the same when I’m 24 points ahead,” Norris said.
“For now, that’s my strength. It feels the same to me now as before Mexico when I wasn’t leading and in Austin.”
Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every practice, qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
Oscar Piastri speaks with journalists in the paddock. (Photo by Mahmud HAMS / AFP)Source: AFP
Norris, who needs only to out-score Piastri and defending four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull by two points to win the title this weekend, made light of the pressures of expectation and the Dutchman’s fightback.
“We’ve treated him as a threat the whole year even when he was a few more points behind,” he said of Verstappen, who was 104 points behind in the title race at the end of August, but is now level with Piastri — 24 behind Norris.
“We treat him as a threat because we know what he’s capable of, we know what Red Bull is capable of — so therefore nothing changes now because he’s still the threat he’s always been through the whole year.”
Norris conceded that his disqualification in Las Vegas had hurt, but said he and the team had dealt with it and moved on.
“We all felt let down by the result and we were all disappointed, but actually I found it was quite easy to move on and have a few days off — and then come into this weekend,” he explained.
Norris is favourite to win the drivers’ championship. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)Source: AP
MERCEDES STAR CALLS OUT F1’S ‘MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR’ PROBLEM
Elsewhere, Mercedes driver George Russell called on the “multi-billion-dollar” F1 to stop relying on volunteer stewards, suggesting in an ideal world they would be replaced by full-time paid officials.
Russell’s comments came after Carlos Sainz said on Friday that TV broadcasters Jolyon Palmer, Anthony Davidson and Karun Chandhok were correct in their assessment on controversial incidents “90 per cent” of the time.
While Sainz was not necessarily singling out those three for the role, he was broadly arguing that if full-time stewards were installed it would make sense for them to also be former drivers who can draw on their experience when making decisions.
“Every time I see the analysis that they do and the verdict that they give from racing drivers that have been racing recently, I think they do very good analysis, and they put the blame correctly most of the time on who actually has the blame, or if it’s actually just a racing incident,” Sainz said.
“My future ideal is no guidelines and people that are able to judge these sort of incidents as well as these three people that I just mentioned do, after the races.”
Russell, on the other hand, while agreeing that the F1 could benefit from having paid stewards, provided a different perspective when told Sainz’s opinion on the matter.
Oscar on start: “Barged out of the way” | 01:56
“I respect those three that he (Sainz) mentioned from an analysis perspective and I think they do get things absolutely spot on,” Russell said.
“The benefit they have versus the stewards is they’ve got: one, no pressure; two, they’ve got time on their hands not to make a decision there in the moment; and three, they’re not following guidelines. They’re following their own view of racing experience and knowledge, which, for what it’s worth, I think the stewards have, but their job isn’t to make a decision based upon their view.
“If the guidelines aren’t correct, the decisions wouldn’t be correct, but you can’t have a guideline for every circumstance.”
“But you can’t have a guideline for every circumstance. So it goes back to this point where I think consistent stewarding from individuals who’ve got that racing experience, who can see an incident for what it is, is where we will get the most consistent penalties for a given incident. And that’s where the likes of Anthony, Jolyon and Karun have that benefit.”
Regardless of who is making the calls, Russell argued that for a “multi-billion-dollar sport”, the F1 should be doing better than putting so much pressure on volunteers to make such big decisions.
“At the end of the day, it’s a job. (The F1) is a multi-billion-dollar sport. We shouldn’t be having volunteers having such great power in certain roles,” Russell said.
“So somebody’s got to pay for these people, in my eyes.”
George Russell gave his take. Clive Rose/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
‘I WON’T GET INTO THAT’: HAMILTON SHOOTS DOWN MERCEDES QUESTION
Lewis Hamilton declared he had no regrets about joining Ferrari this year and dismissed his earlier comments, in which he said he was not looking forward to next year, as having been said in the “heat of frustration”.
Speaking to reporters at the Lusail International Circuit ahead of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, the penultimate event of the year, the 40-year-old seven-time champion admitted it would take him time “to build and grow” at Ferrari.
He distanced himself from his impetuous comments of recent weeks, when he described his season with Ferrari as “a nightmare” and said he was not looking forward to 2026.
“I would be surprised if the other drivers are excited about next year at the end of a season,” he said. “Usually, you don’t have a lot of energy at the end of the season…
“It was in the heat of frustration and often there is a lot of frustration at the end of a race, when it doesn’t go well. I am excited to see what the team does next year.”
Hamilton had been particularly glum in Las Vegas where, for the first time in his career, he was last in qualifying on pure pace but recovered to finish 10th, promoted to eighth following the disqualification of both McLarens.
It extended his run of poor form throughout 2025 with Ferrari as he failed to break his unwanted record of going 22 races with the team without scoring a podium finish. He has never completed a season without a podium.
Verstappen wins Vegas Grand Prix | 01:21
Asked if he had any regrets about leaving Mercedes, where he won six of his drivers’ titles, to join Ferrari, Hamilton replied: “Firstly, that is a hypothetical question and I won’t really get into that, but I don’t regret the decision I made in joining this team.
“I know it takes time to build and grow, within an organisation, and I expected that.”
He added: “We have a lot of work to do over the winter. We’ll analyse the season and there are lots of improvements we need to make collectively, but no-one is under any illusions in the team.”
Hamilton is 74 points behind team-mate Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ standings after being out-qualified by the Monegasque 17 times in 22 Grands Prix. Leclerc has also accumulated seven podium finishes.
Hamilton said he was not concerned by those results.
“Charles has done a great job. He has been here for seven years and he has a team around him who he has worked with for many years so it is a well-oiled machine.
“On my side, it is a new group of people. It is a new environment that I am still getting used to. We are working as hard as we can to get it to work as well as we can.
“To compare it to someone who has had it for seven years, you don’t just do it like that. It takes a bit of time.”
Lewis Hamilton speaks to media. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
VETERAN’S WARNING OVER SHOCK APPOINTMENT
Fernando Alonso celebrated the surprise news that technical guru Adrian Newey will be Aston Martin’s team chief next year, and admitted he was just as surprised as the rest of the Formula One paddock by the announcement.
The two-time world champion said he was given no prior notification of the team’s decision to make Newey team principal in a reshuffle that will see current boss Andy Cowell become chief strategy officer.
Newey has designed title-winning racing cars for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull across a career in which he has become widely regarded as the sport’s greatest and most innovative designer.
Speaking in Qatar ahead of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, Alonso described the move as “good news”.
“It is great for the team to have Adrian, with all his expertise and knowledge about everything that a team should need to compete at the highest level,” the Spaniard said.
“Andy is taking different responsibilities in the area he knows best so it seems like it’s a logical change and I’m happy with that.”
Alonso spoke to reporters about Newey’s appointment. Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
The veteran Alonso warned, however, that being team principal meant other demands too.
“I think Adrian has all the skills, to be honest, to make a fast car. The role of team principal is a bit different nowadays and you have to deal with other things — media, commitments, sponsors,” he explained.
“I hope Adrian doesn’t have to do all of those and can concentrate on the more important stuff.”
For Alonso, Newey’s new role could also act as a magnet for attracting even more talent to Aston Martin.
“He knows how to operate a team and how everyone should focus in one direction so he’s a great leader,” he said.
“Everyone would like to work with Newey and learn from him. Being our team principal, I’m sure we will have even more people dreaming of joining the team, so that’s good news for us.”