Oscar Piastri’s once-privileged position within McLaren has abruptly collapsed after the team rescinded his competitive advantages following a damning internal review. The Australian, previously granted priority privileges over teammate Lando Norris, has been stripped of them after being deemed partially at fault for the calamitous incident that eliminated both cars during the United States Grand Prix sprint. What began as McLaren’s effort to pacify an increasingly frustrated Piastri has now backfired spectacularly, reopening tensions within the reigning constructors’ champions.
Initially, McLaren had granted Piastri qualifying priority — a subtle but powerful advantage effectively establishing him as the team’s “number one” driver for a weekend. The gesture followed frustration over Norris’s aggressive defense in Singapore, where he forced Piastri wide without penalty. However, after the chaotic clash in Austin, Piastri’s privileges were quickly revoked. Team boss Zak Brown, who initially blamed Nico Hülkenberg for the incident, later backtracked and apologized after reviewing the footage — a public admission that suggested McLaren’s internal narrative had shifted sharply against their Australian driver.
The accident itself was emblematic of Piastri’s youthful intensity. Attempting an ambitious switchback maneuver at the hairpin, he found himself sandwiched between Hülkenberg’s Sauber and Norris’s McLaren — a miscalculated gamble that ended in disaster for both MCL39s. Veteran analyst Martin Brundle was among those who placed the blame squarely on Piastri, citing “overzealous racecraft.” The 24-year-old eventually accepted “a degree of responsibility,” admitting ahead of the Mexico Grand Prix that Norris would start the next race weekend “with a clean slate.”
For McLaren, the incident couldn’t have come at a worse time. With only five rounds remaining, internal harmony is crucial — especially as championship leader Piastri faces the surging Max Verstappen, who has slashed the points deficit with three wins from the last four races. The Australian’s lead now hangs by a thread, just 40 points clear of the reigning world champion, with circuits ahead where Verstappen historically dominates — Mexico, Brazil, Qatar, Las Vegas, and Abu Dhabi.
Despite the storm, Piastri maintains an unflinching composure. Speaking to reporters, he dismissed panic, insisting he prefers to “be the hunted rather than the hunter.” Yet the reality remains brutal — McLaren’s internal backflip has not only stripped him of privileges but also of psychological momentum. As the championship hurtles toward its climax, the question is no longer whether Piastri can fend off Verstappen, but whether he can even keep his own team unified long enough to survive the fight.
