Oscar Piastri outlines 'easy target' fear if McLaren racing secrets revealed

Oscar Piastri has outlined a fear that McLaren will become "easy targets", should it be discovered what conversations are held between himself and Lando Norris in house.

The championship leader confirmed ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix that in house talks were held after the controversial conclusion at Monza, where team orders were introduced.

Piastri was instructed to let Norris retake second position in the closing laps of the Italian GP after a slow pit stop had seen the Briton rejoin the circuit behind his team-mate. 

Despite initially questioning the call, Piastri followed the orders which saw his lead in the drivers' title reduce to 41 points. 

McLaren has not been afraid to interfere in Piastri and Norris' title fight to ensure the team scores maximum points, creating the possibility of the constructors' title being secured in Baku. 

Asked in Baku if the team will interfere less once the constructors' title is sealed, Piastri replied: "Not necessarily because of the constructors' championship. 

"But I think we've again, had a lot of discussions about how we how we want to go racing, and you know, a lot of that is to stay for us.

"Because, ultimately, if we give out that information, then we become very easy targets to pick off, because everyone knows what we're going to do. 

"So, that's all very aligned with all of us, but stays in house."

How McLaren can defend title in Baku

For McLaren, the situation is simple should it wish to complete a successful defence of its constructors' championship in the Azerbaijani capital.

To claim back-to-back titles this weekend, McLaren must out-score Ferrari by nine points, and not score more than 12 points less than Mercedes and 33 points less than Red Bull.

McLaren defending its title has been inevitable for much of the campaign, based on the sheer superiority of the MCL39. 

Piastri recognises this, and just how different challenging for the title has been this season compared to last year.

"I think, very different," said Piastri, discussing this year's title challenge compared to 2024. "Because, this year has just looked very different to last year. 

"I think, last season went down to the final race, had a pretty eventful final race as well. So I think this year it's, clearly, the car has been a step better. The team has been performing very well. 

"So there's much more of a sense of inevitability about this year, which is an amazing position to be in. 

"It's a testament to all the hard work from everyone at the team and I'm the lucky guy that gets to drive the car at the end of the day. So yes, testament to everyone's hard work and very, very proud of everyone."