The new Formula 1 season is just around the corner. As of today, Monday, March 10, we have officially entered the first “Race Week” of the year. Expectations are sky-high for what promises to be a fiercely contested season, with four teams in the title fight. Although McLaren appeared to have the upper hand in testing, an internal rivalry between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris could jeopardize their on-track performance. Here’s what former F1 driver Anthony Davidson had to say.
The MCL39 has already instilled fear in its rivals. The latest creation from Woking is an extreme evolution of the 2024 car that won the Constructors’ Championship. This was undoubtedly a risky approach from McLaren’s engineers, but it has paid off. During the three days of testing in Bahrain, the papaya-colored car was the fastest.
From day one, Lando Norris’s car, in particular, was flawless—exceptional handling, minimal corrections, consistent race pace, and low tire degradation. The onboard footage showed a car that seemed to run on rails. This has alarmed fans worldwide, who fear another Red Bull-style dominance like in 2023. However, nothing is set in stone.
Telemetry data suggests that the other teams are close and ready to attack. Moreover, McLaren faces a disadvantage: Australia is a completely different circuit from Sakhir. As a street track, it has a different layout, weather conditions, and tire requirements. Everything is still wide open.
One factor that could be a red flag for McLaren is the rivalry between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Last season, the two maintained a strong relationship, leading to great teamwork in Hungary and Qatar. However, they also had a costly incident in Monza—Oscar Piastri, starting second, launched an aggressive attack on Norris, causing him to lose position to Charles Leclerc as well.
Are we certain that in 2025, with both drivers more experienced and in a highly competitive car, tensions won’t erupt within McLaren? Anthony Davidson addressed the topic on *Sky Sports F1*: “I love this lineup. It’s young, fresh, and full of spirit. But often, that also brings drawbacks, as we saw last year. Still, the team managed to handle the situation quite well.”
“I think that if they have the most competitive car this year and a margin over their rivals, they will push each other hard, and things could become more personal. That’s something to consider. On one hand, Oscar Piastri has an innate, unshakable confidence. On the other, Norris is reaching ‘adulthood’ as a driver and will be the one to beat.”
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