McLaren warned of dynamic change between Norris and Piastri

Johnny Herbert has backed Oscar Piastri to fight Lando Norris for supremacy at McLaren next season, arguing the "dynamic" between the team-mates will change.

The Woking-based team has long-maintained it has "two number one drivers", but as the F1 drivers' championship intensified, it did away with papaya rules and backed Norris in his long-shot title challenge against Max Verstappen.

Following the Dutchman's extraordinary victory in Brazil from P17 on the grid, he looks all but guaranteed to wrap up a fourth-consecutive championship crown before F1 reaches Abu Dhabi for the season finale in three rounds' time.

As such, Herbert, who raced in F1 from 1989 to 2000, believes the restoration of parity at McLaren when Norris' championship fight is ultimately over could signal the start of a changing of the guard within the team.

When it was put to him that Piastri will be fighting for number one status moving forward, he suggested the balance of power could shift "very quickly" between the two drivers.

“If we go to Abu Dhabi and the championship is done and it is not possible for Lando to win [the drivers' title], that will already have changed," the 60-year-old told Vision4Sport.

"That will be letting Oscar be allowed to go out there and win the race if he can. The whole dynamic will swap over very quickly this year and will continue into 2025."

'One helluva fight' to come

Outside of McLaren, the 2025 F1 season is poised to be one of the most competitive in recent memory, with four teams expected to have championship-winning aspirations.

The Red Bull era of dominance is over, and whilst Verstappen looks more than likely to hold onto the drivers' crown, the same cannot yet be said of next year.

Herbert feels that within the context of the fight between McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes will be the intra-team battle between Piastri and Norris.

“It is really exciting," he said. "People need to be there to see the start of the season next year. It’s going to be one helluva fight the whole year between four teams.

“Oscar will be very difficult to beat but Lando has upped his game when he has had to and has been the man who has effectively led the team to be where it is at the moment.”