Anthony Davidson Questions McLaren’s Careful Strategy in 2025 F1 Title Race | Norris vs Piastri vs Verstappen

Ex-F1 driver Anthony Davidson believes McLaren’s cautious approach between teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could cost them the 2025 Formula 1 Championship. With Max Verstappen closing in, Davidson warns that McLaren’s fairness might open the door for Red Bull.​

McLaren Playing It Safe

Davidson thinks the Woking-based team has been way too careful this year when managing their two racers. He pointed out that McLaren tried so hard to keep things fair between Norris and Piastri that they might have put themselves in a tough spot. The team already said they would rather lose the championship to Verstappen than pick one driver over the other, which sounds noble but risky at the same time.​

The numbers tell a tight story right now. Here are where things stand:​

• Norris leads the championship by just one point over his teammate
• Piastri sits in second place hoping for a comeback
• Verstappen trails by 36 points but keeps getting closer
• Only four races remain to settle everything

Davidson Sees Problems Ahead

The former racer made it clear he cannot see McLaren changing their approach at this late stage. They spent the whole year being super strict about fairness, so switching gears now would look really bad. Davidson wrote about this in his Sky F1 Q&A, saying the team has been almost too careful when trying to do the right thing.​

He brought up the famous 2007 battle between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton when they were McLaren teammates. That situation ended badly for the team, and they seem scared of repeating history. But Davidson thinks their fear of making tough calls could actually help Verstappen grab the title in the last race.​

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McLaren runs into another problem too. When both drivers are super close to each other on track, things can get messy really fast. We already saw them bump into each other in Singapore and almost crash in Austria. Davidson said these moments happen because both racers drive the fastest car most of the time, so they end up near each other a lot. He does not think either driver would crash on purpose though, which differs from some past teammate battles we have seen.​

The truth is both Norris and Piastri are different people compared to those previous drama-filled partnerships. Davidson believes we might see more close calls or even contact between them, but nothing mean-spirited. The pressure builds every weekend, and when you are that close in speed, mistakes can happen to anyone.​

Piastri Under Pressure

Something interesting Davidson noticed is how pressure affects each driver differently. Piastri had a 34-point lead over Norris after his seventh victory at the Dutch Grand Prix. But since then, he has not finished on the podium and has not grabbed a single victory. That huge advantage just disappeared in five races.​

Davidson thinks Piastri might have gotten too tight while leading the championship. When you are the one everyone chases, you start thinking about what you might lose instead of what you can gain. That changes how you drive, makes you scared of taking risks, and then mistakes start showing up. We saw this in Baku where he made errors and in Mexico where his qualifying round did not go well.​

On the other hand, Norris seems free as a bird right now. Davidson said when you are fighting back without anything to lose, your head feels clearer and you can attack without fear. That showed up in Mexico qualifying when Norris put together one of the best laps Davidson has ever watched. The controlled aggression under such huge pressure was something special.​

What Happens Next

The tracks coming up will test everyone in different ways. Brazil could go either direction, but Verstappen usually performs really well there, especially when it rains. Before Red Bull got faster recently, most people would have said McLaren had the advantage in dry conditions.​

Las Vegas looks good for Verstappen because the track is similar to Monza where Red Bull showed strong pace with their low downforce setup. The cold temperatures and fewer corners might actually hurt McLaren since their strength is taking care of tires during long races. In Vegas, getting heat into the tires matters more than keeping them alive.​

Qatar should be McLaren territory all the way. All those medium and high-speed corners suit their car perfectly, and Davidson thinks they could run away with that race. Abu Dhabi will probably favor McLaren too, though Verstappen might grab pole position there which would make things interesting.​

Can Piastri Come Back

Even though things look rough for Piastri lately, Davidson has not given up on him. He liked how the Australian racer bounced back in Mexico after a bad qualifying session. Piastri showed good pace during the race and made smart moves when needed. That kind of toughness matters when the championship gets this close.​

Nothing stays the same forever in F1. You are only as good as your most recent performance, and Piastri could flip things around in Brazil or Qatar. Qatar especially looks promising for him since he grabbed his first race there before. Davidson said he just needs to keep doing what worked all year and wait for better days to come.​

The momentum sits with Norris at the moment, but Piastri had his own hot streak earlier this season. There is no reason to think Norris will keep this form all the way to Abu Dhabi. Four races leave plenty of room for things to change.​

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One more thing Davidson talked about was how other racers might act around these three championship fighters. Someone like George Russell has nothing to lose in the title fight, so he might take bigger risks when racing against Norris, Piastri or Verstappen. Davidson has been in both positions during his racing days.​

When you lead the championship, you start looking over your shoulder at drivers who can afford to be wild. You know they might make a crazy move, and you have to decide if defending your position is worth the risk. On the flip side, when you are the one with nothing to lose, it feels amazing because you know the championship fighters will often give you space.​

Russell showed this exact thing in Austin with Verstappen. While Russell just wanted a race victory, Verstappen could not afford any contact that might ruin his championship hopes. So Russell had more freedom to push hard and stick his nose into gaps.​

The Big Question

Davidson hopes reliability does not decide who takes the championship. That would be a terrible way to end such a close fight. He thinks it should come down to who can perform closest to perfect every single weekend. That is what a proper championship battle should look like.​

Qualifying speed matters but probably will not decide everything on its own. Brazil allows overtaking, and tire wear can be high there, so starting position might matter less than usual. The real test is handling the pressure week after week without cracking.​

McLaren put themselves in this position by refusing to make tough choices. Their careful approach kept things fair but also gave Verstappen an opening. Davidson questions whether being too fair actually helps anyone when a championship slips away. Sometimes teams need to make hard calls even when those decisions feel uncomfortable.​

The next few weeks will show us if McLaren should have listened to Davidson or if their fair play approach pays off. Either way, fans are getting an amazing finish to the season, and nobody knows for sure what will happen.​