Piastri social-media blunder fuels McLaren tension talk

(GMM) Oscar Piastri (pictured) has landed himself – and McLaren – in an awkward spot after briefly sharing Bernie Ecclestone’s recent claim that the team is favoring Lando Norris in the 2025 title fight.

The post appeared on Piastri’s Instagram story on Thursday before being deleted a few hours later.

According to Sky Italia, it was not the Australian himself who posted it, but “one of the people managing his social accounts”.

Even so, the damage was done.

Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde told Viaplay: “Maybe he pressed the wrong button, but it certainly wasn’t very smart.”

More importantly, van der Garde believes the accidental post reflects a genuine feeling inside the camp.

“I do think Piastri feels Norris is being favored. We all feel that,” he said. “Norris has been with the team longer and is Zak Brown’s driver – and Zak is also his manager.

“You can feel everywhere that Norris is the preferred driver. The best one has to win, and in the last races that was Norris.”

Fifth placed qualifier Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren is interviewed during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas at Las Vegas Strip Circuit on November 21, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Glenn Dunbar/LAT Images for McLaren)

Piastri insists his slump is ending, but Red Bull’s Helmut Marko isn’t convinced after Friday practice in Las Vegas.

“Piastri is so much slower than Norris that it’s difficult to assess the McLaren’s speed,” Marko said.

Former F1 driver Christian Klien sees a simpler explanation.

“Lando has so much confidence that everything is working for him right now,” he told Kronen Zeitung. “His retirement at Zandvoort put him so far behind that all the pressure was lifted. Since then, he’s been driving like a man possessed.”

Despite the growing noise, Norris himself appears unfazed – even by the boos that have begun to follow him as he closes in on the world championship.

“It’s like you finally feel like you’re doing something right,” Norris said in Las Vegas.

“When you’re on top, people want to bring you down. If I do a bad job and get boos, I deserve it. But if I win and get them, I couldn’t care less.”

Meanwhile, fans have also noticed a drop-off in joint McLaren video content, fueling speculation of rising tension.

Norris denies it.

“I think the reason you see less videos is because we both asked to do less videos,” he said. “We’re racing drivers – we want to come and drive, not make videos for social media. That’s our request as drivers.”