McLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri relationship 'improving' despite F1 title duel

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McLaren boss Andrea Stella has revealed the relationship between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris "keeps improving", despite being engaged in a Formula 1 title fight.

The impression that the Drivers' Championship is a battle between the McLaren duo has enhanced in recent weeks as Max Verstappen has dropped 81 points behind.

Piastri comes into this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix with a 16-point lead over Norris, the two having taken all but three victories between them in 13 races in 2025.

The most recent occasion where a McLaren driver didn't triumph in a main race came in Canada in June, when a late clash caused terminal damage to Norris' MCL39.

However, the Briton accepted the blame and apologised to his team-mate, with McLaren CEO Zak Brown expressing that he expects the partnership to remain cordial.

And according to Stella, the collaboration is continuing to strengthen the more Norris and Piastri's duel to get their hands on a maiden title has developed this season.

"Let me say that if anything, the relationship between Oscar and Lando keeps improving, and this is not the effect of a random evolution," Stella told media including Motorsport Week.

"This is because we invest in relationships. Relationships are one of the, when I refer to fundamentals of Formula 1, actually relationships are probably slightly less tangible, but I think it's as fundamental as aerodynamics and this involves the relationship between drivers and the team and the drivers.

"If I take the race that we had last year in Hungary, we spent quite a lot of time in reviewing that individually with the drivers together, the two drivers, we tried to learn each other as much as possible.

"We tried to remind ourselves that F1 is difficult and we are always going to face some difficulties, and this is an awareness that we need to have.

"From there, [we consider] what can we do to improve and what can we do as a team to make sure that we have a framework that allows Lando and Oscar to pursue their aspirations, always protecting the interests of the team.

"I'm lucky because the two drivers are very reasonable, very fair, very correct, humble, and above all, they understand that we are here not only to pursue our interests in the present, but we are also here to protect the future of their own careers and of McLaren."

Stella has acknowledged that it's logical that the mounting pressure on Norris and Piastri will continue to heighten as each passing race assumes added significance.

However, the Italian is certain that the role both drivers have held in cultivating the team ethic that has been imperative to McLaren's return to the top will not diminish.

"I think there may be a natural increase of what could be a sense of pressure because the races reduce in number and every race will become, relatively, slightly more important," he added.

"But I think what I can say from the point of view of the team principal and the team is that our two drivers and the team have sustained this quest to the championships in a very solid way.

"I think over time, and reviewing this race by race, we have created a solid racing approach: an approach to which Lando and Oscar have definitely contributed.

"It's not like the team have created this racing approach, and now [say to] Lando and Oscar, 'this is it'.

"We have done it together. We have put it together as a team, including drivers. So I think this is a very robust framework and this will be more and more important in a way.

"Certainly the marginal value of every race will increase as we get closer to the end of the season."