Oscar Piastri handed critical F1 instruction ahead of new Lando Norris battle

Oscar Piastri has been told his results in the opening rounds of next year's F1 campaign will be critical when it comes to how McLaren manage its drivers during the season.

Piastri and team-mate Lando Norris were left free to race throughout the 2025 campaign as they battled for championship success.

It generated questions late in the year if one should be prioritised as Max Verstappen closed on the pair in the drivers' standings.

Norris ultimately prevailed in the title fight, coming out on top by just two points ahead of Verstappen.

Speaking to Sky F1, former Aston Martin chief strategist believes McLaren will enter the season with the same approach of treating its drivers equally.

“They're going to try to maintain that into next year.

“Lando is going to be a little bit taller. He's the one with ‘number 1’ on his car. That is going to mean something.

“Certain teams have certain rules about how they do it. At Aston Martin at the time - it was very common across a lot of the teams - the person who was the points leader would get the upgrades if there was only one to choose between.

“They're going to try to maintain that into next year.

“Lando is going to be a little bit taller. He's the one with ‘number 1’ on his car. That is going to mean something.

“Certain teams have certain rules about how they do it. At Aston Martin at the time - it was very common across a lot of the teams - the person who was the points leader would get the upgrades if there was only one to choose between.”

However, Collins suggested the tone could begin to shift if one driver begins to pull away.

With Norris entering the year with the momentum of a championship triumph, Collins highlighted the importance for Piastri to start the year in strong fashion.

“Oscar is going to know that in the early races, he needs to really get his marker down,” she said.

“He needs to show that he's not P2, he needs to beat Lando in qualifying, he needs to be getting the points on the board in the race, and make it so it's unreasonable to favour the other driver.

“They’re both going to go into race one knowing that they've got a lot to prove.”