McLaren hand firm F1 title instruction to Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris

McLaren boss Andrea Stella has told his two drivers that they must maintain "respect for one another" as they battle for the F1 world championship. 

Oscar Piastri currently leads Lando Norris by nine points in the all-McLaren fight to land the team's first drivers' crown since Lewis Hamilton's 2008 success.

Across the first 14 races, there has only been one major flashpoint when Norris collided with Piastri in Canada, ending his race and costing him at least 10 points in the title race. 

The team has been firm throughout that its so-called 'Papaya Rules' will be in force throughout the season, with both drivers holding the line thus far that the team comes first, with McLaren currently able to win the constructors' in Azerbaijan, in just three races' time. 

But team principal Stella has instructed the pair that to pursue their personal ambitions, the team must come first.

"We are McLaren Racing, we [know] the value of racing to Formula 1, and we want to give great racing to Formula 1," Stella told media, including RacingNews365. 

"We want to give our two drivers the possibility to utilise and express their talent, pursue their aspirations and their personal success.

"This needs to happen within our boundaries of the team interest, fairness, sportsmanship and respect for one another.

"For me, this is what I see when we have a deviating strategy, when we have different options, and this is part of racing.

"We want to make sure that no driver is surprised, and no driver has been surprised so far, and I can only be grateful for the way Lando and Oscar have interpreted the way we go racing as a team, as a group. 

"This is going to be the same until the end of the season."