Lando Norris issues McLaren plea ahead of 'inevitable' Oscar Piastri fallout

Lando Norris has stated McLaren must be “ready” for when a fallout inevitably occurs between himself and team-mate Oscar Piastri. The duo are currently in their third season as team-mates and have proven to be a successful pairing to date as they drove McLaren to its first constructors' championship in 26 years last season. However, this year the duo are fighting for their first drivers' title, with Piastri leading Norris by 10 points in the standings. The pair have not yet come to blows as they chase the championship and have even enjoyed a harmonious relationship, often seen joking and laughing with one another. However, Norris asserted both drivers are wary a moment of tension will likely put a dent in the healthy atmosphere. "We never said we're going to avoid everything," said Norris.  "I think we've actually been quite open in saying at some point, something is probably going to happen. "We just have to be ready for that. I think both Oscar and myself know that, we're competitive, we want to beat each other but the main thing is we stay strong together as a team.” Team principal Andrea Stella has been clear that his approach to navigating the title fight is to ensure there is open communication between the teams and the drivers. It's a point backed up by Norris as he sees the pair heading towards an “inevitable” disagreement. “But everything is in the open, everything is obvious, everything is known between us,” Norris added. "We both want to win, we both want to beat each other, but at the end of the day there can only be one person and that will be whoever performs the best over the course of the year. "I think Andrea [Stella, McLaren Team Principal] said it, it's not an 'if', it's a 'when' and we'll see when that time comes. But of course we'll try and avoid everything as much as possible but it's inevitable that it happens in racing."