McLaren handed overwhelming verdict on controversial team orders

McLaren eased to the F1 constructors' championship in 2025 and, through Lando Norris, won its first drivers' title since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.

However, despite the Woking-based squad's crushingly dominant campaign, how it managed the Briton and team-mate Oscar Piastri has been a point of contention — at least in some corners of the paddock.

To some, a few key decisions overshadowed and undermined its efforts, with team principal Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown's insistence on maintaining parity between its two drivers the nucleus of those complaints.

Whilst criticised for not throwing its weight behind one driver, despite the looming — and increasingly dangerous — threat of Max Verstappen, the papaya team was also torn down for enacting team orders (or not) at various points.

In a recent poll by RacingNews365, two-thirds of respondents voted that the call to make Piastri hand over second position to Norris during the Italian Grand Prix was the most controversial.

What transpired at Monza is well documented, and those three additional points did ultimately prove some of the critical points that saw the 11-time grand prix winner outlast Verstappen by just two points come the end of the year.

Check out how that team order stacked up against some others from the 2025 F1 season below in the full results. Let us know what you think in the comments section!