Juan Pablo Montoya thinks McLaren prefer Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri because of one crucial reason

Former F1 driver, Juan Pablo Montoya is of the opinion that McLaren favors Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri in the battle for the world championship. Speaking about this, Montoya stated that Norris's history with the Papayas gives him an edge over Piastri.

Norris and Piastri are locked in for the 2025 F1 title battle, and so far, they have been at par. After 18 races and three sprints, only 22 points separate them, which is too little given there are six races and three sprints still to go.

In terms of performance, there was barely anything that separates the two drivers. On top of that, both drivers have received equal importance from their team. However, Montoya believes Norris could receive an upper hand over Piastri when the battle goes down to the wire.

“A little bit, yes," Montoya told AS about McLaren. "A little bit. We have to understand that in every team, there is always a favourite, even if they are all equal. That’s normal."

"It’s the one with the most history, the one who has been in the team the longest, the one who has done everything, [and that is] Lando.bOscar is doing a spectacular job and everything, but the one with the history and who has been more a part of McLaren is Lando," he further added.

Currently, Oscar Piastri is leading the championship with 336 points, with seven wins, five pole positions, and 14 podiums. Lando Norris is in P2 with 314 points, with five wins, four poles and 14 podiums.

Interestingly, defending F1 champion, Max Verstappen is also in the hunt for the world championship. He is currently in P3 in the standings with 273 points, and two wins will bring him back to the title race again.

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F1 expert urged McLaren to let Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris race freely

Renowned F1 expert and commentator Martin Brundle asked McLaren to allow Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to race freely and reduce team interference. Sharing his thoughts in the Sky Sports F1 column, here's what he wrote:

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri celebrates Constructors' Championship with McLaren at the F1 Grand Prix Of Singapore - Source: Getty

"Perhaps McLaren should now just let their two drivers duke it out, gloves off, between themselves with zero interference. Any nuclear fallout will be tempered by the need to finish races, score points, avoid FIA in-race penalties, avoid Verstappen catching the pair of them, and running out of the latest specification of parts as the team focuses on 2026."

McLaren followed an unofficial rule called Papaya rules under which the drivers needed to follow team orders while racing each other hard without making contact. However, the rule received stern criticism from F1 experts, and they asked the team to drop it going forward.