Lando Norris warned against Daniel Ricciardo fate at McLaren

Lando Norris has been warned that he could be forced into taking the same path at McLaren as the axed Daniel Ricciardo.

Ricciardo was dumped by the team two years into a three-year deal at the end of 2022, to be replaced by Oscar Piastri who has worked with Norris to guide McLaren back to championship-winning ways, scooping the constructors' in '24.

Piastri currently leads Norris by 10 points in the drivers' standings, having taken three wins to one from the five 2025 races, with Norris drawing scrutiny for multiple blunders, including a crash in qualifying in Saudi Arabia which left him 10th on the grid. 

Former F1 racer Johnny Herbert believes McLaren bosses Zak Brown and Andrea Stella will soon have to decide who the number one driver is, and that this could force Norris towards the Woking exit door.

"There's always a chance that Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri leaves McLaren because of the rivalry, but would they risk a good pairing?," Herbert mused to CoinCasino.

"Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull because of Max Verstappen's emergence and gave it a shot at Renault. There will be a time at McLaren when they choose to favour one of the drivers, it's impossible to keep it equal. 

"There will be more trust placed in the one driver outperforming the other, hopefully it’s a lesson learnt from last season. 

"But, Piastri seems to be controlling his own destiny at the moment and has the edge. Could Norris take the same path as Ricciardo? 

"Possibly… but why would he do that? He’s fast enough to beat Oscar for this Championship, it will be hard work for them both.”