Former F1 boss accuses McLaren of Lando Norris bias

The saga that ensued at the Italian GP between McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri left the paddock divided over which side of the papaya garage was right in the exchange of places. But, with the swap aiding the 25-year-old Briton, ex-F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has claimed that the Woking-based squad prefers Norris to be the world champion based on their recent actions. Notably, Ecclestone was the boss of Brabham from 1971 to 1987.

Monza became the venue for the next controversy involving the papaya duo. While the memories of the Hungarian GP incident were still strong in the paddock, where Norris seemingly received the better strategy despite staying behind Piastri for the majority of the race, another event broke out in the 2025 season, and this time the venue was the historical track of Monza.

While McLaren was unable to beat Max Verstappen at the Temple of Speed, the race was not over as both its drivers are in a championship fight for the drivers' crown. Moreover, a slow stop had helped the championship leader in moving past his teammate, which would have helped him extend his advantage in the championship to 37 points.

However, McLaren soon intervened and ordered Piastri to let Norris have P2. This polarized the F1 paddock and led Ecclestone to accuse the Woking-based squad of favoritism for Norris, as he told BLICK (as translated from German):

"They talk about fairness all the time. But is it fair for Piastri if he is punished for a mistake made by the team? No."

"You slowly get the feeling that McLaren prefers a World Champion named Lando Norris. Mistakes such as missed pit stops or engine damage as well as suspension breaks have become rarer, but they are part of the sport."

Meanwhile, with Oscar Piastri allowing Lando Norris to retake P2, the standings witnessed a six-point swing as a lead that could have stretched to 37 points was reduced to 31 points.

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Oscar Piastri was not really on board with the idea of giving up second place to Lando Norris at the Italian GP

McLaren's Oscar Piastri (L) and Lando Norris (R) at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Italy race weekend - Source: Getty

The narrative that a slow pit stop comes under racing was supported by many in the paddock, as even Nico Rosberg was enraged by McLaren's decision to let Lando Norris retake P2. So, when the order was initially given to Oscar Piastri, he had also shown some reluctance to it, as he had said over the radio during the Italian GP:

"We said a slow pit stop was part of racing. I don't really get what changed here. But if you really want to do it, then I'll do it."

Moreover, reflecting on the swap in his post-race comments, he admitted that he needs to discuss a few things with the squad before the next race, as he said (via McLaren):

"In terms of the call to swap, ultimately it was fair. We have things to discuss, as we always do with these sorts of racing situations. It's now time to refocus ahead of Baku."

Meanwhile, the F1 paddock will next visit the Baku street circuit in Azerbaijan, where Oscar Piastri emerged victorious last time around, and would hope to take home the victory on September 21 to extend his advantage in the championship standings.