Juan Pablo Montoya has suggested that McLaren Racing‘s CEO Zak Brown may show favoritism toward Lando Norris in the tense 2025 drivers‘ championship battle against teammate Oscar Piastri. The Woking-based team faces intense scrutiny as both drivers compete closely for the title, raising questions about internal dynamics and potential biases.
Montoya, speaking in an interview with Coinpoker, was asked if the championship‘s losing driver might leave McLaren after 2025. He responded by referencing the political complexities surrounding team rivalries in Formula 1 history.
“No, because they both have contracts. Whoever wins would create an awkward situation for a while, but they’ll get over it. But was Senna politically correct? Was Senna correct in the way he won races and championships? No. Was Prost fair? No. Was Lewis fair? No. Schumacher? No. Was Max? No.”
—Juan Pablo Montoya, Former F1 Driver
Montoya also highlighted that Brown’s language consistently favors Norris, who has been involved with McLaren since joining its driver development program in 2017 and earning a full-time seat in 2019. In contrast, Piastri, who joined McLaren in 2023 after leaving Alpine abruptly, has not been publicly embraced with the same enthusiasm.
“What is interesting for me is that you hear Zak saying, ‘This is Lando’s era.’ It’s an interesting thing because you haven’t heard Zak saying, ‘This is Oscar’s era.’ He’s always said this is Lando’s era,”
—Juan Pablo Montoya, Former F1 Driver
Supporting this notion, McLaren’s technical chief Neil Houldey revealed earlier in 2025 that upgrades to their MCL39 car were influenced more heavily by Norris’s feedback due to the detailed nature of his debriefs. This technical leaning further fuels perceptions of an uneven playing field within the team.
Montoya Warns Clear Rules Are Needed to Avoid Conflict Between Norris and Piastri
McLaren’s history includes several well-documented and bitter intra-team rivalries, such as the iconic battles between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, and Lewis Hamilton versus Fernando Alonso. Montoya warns that the current rivalry between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could follow a similar destructive path in the latter part of 2025.
So far, both young drivers have maintained respectful competition throughout 2024, but the pressure of a championship fight raises the risk of tensions boiling over. Evidence of potential conflict surfaced at the Canadian Grand Prix when Norris collided with Piastri while attempting a high-speed overtake, intensifying concerns over intra-team clashes.
“I think the rules need to be clear. The only way to prevent Armageddon there is to say if you hit your teammate on purpose, we’re going to make sure the other guy wins,”
—Juan Pablo Montoya, Former F1 Driver
Such a statement underscores the precarious balance McLaren must manage to avoid damaging fallout between their lead drivers. Both Norris and Piastri have excelled on track in 2025, finishing on the podium in 12 of 14 races so far, illustrating their highly competitive forms and the stakes involved.
Current Standings Highlight the High Stakes in McLaren’s 2025 Championship Contest
With the 2025 season progressing, Oscar Piastri narrowly leads the drivers’ championship, holding a nine-point advantage over Norris—284 to 275 points. McLaren itself dominates the constructors’ championship, holding a commanding 559 points compared to second-place Ferrari’s 260.
This intense internal rivalry, combined with the spotlight on alleged favoritism toward Norris, places McLaren under considerable pressure to manage not only their car’s performance but also their driver dynamics carefully. The outcome of this conflict could shape McLaren’s team strategy for years and has significant implications for how they nurture young talent.