‘Very difficult choices’ - McLaren dealt striking Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri warning

Former F1 driver Romain Grosjean has warned McLaren that it faces "very difficult choices" in the 2025 season, due to having two number one drivers. 

Unlike Red Bull and Mercedes, McLaren has stuck to its strategy of treating both of its drivers as equals, rather than introducing a lead and back-up driver. 

At Mercedes, George Russell is the clear number one, whilst Max Verstappen is Red Bull's lead driver. 

As for McLaren, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are both treated as lead drivers, which resulted in several issues last season. 

The Woking-based team's equal status approach caused tension in the Hungarian and Italian grands prix, before prioritising Norris in the closing rounds. 

McLaren did get across the line and win the constructors' title last year, with it set to reestablish its equal status of both drivers. 

Grosjean has raised concerns over this, and has reminded McLaren of the famous clashes between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

"I do think that McLaren is in a very, very tricky situation, because they have two fantastic drivers," Grosjean told the F1 Nation podcast. 

"Both very fast drivers, young drivers, and it's not like one or the other one will kind of take it easy to coast down to the end of their career. 

"They're both at the beginning of their career. So I think McLaren is going to have to make some choices, very difficult choices. 

"It's difficult and we've seen it with every team in Formula 1. McLaren knows it very well from the past. Remember Prost and Senna, it didn't end up in the best way."

Avoiding Norris-Piastri clashes

Despite McLaren sealing a first constructors' title since 1998 last season, it cannot afford to make similar mistakes should it want to defend its championship. 

The new season which starts this weekend in Australia, is predicted to be the closest in F1 history, increasing the pressure on not making a misjudgement. 

Grosjean praised the British team for the way it has progressed, but believes a clear plan must be outlined to both drivers to avoid unnecessary tension.

"We always say your team-mate is your first opponent," added Grosjean. "It's the only guy that's got the same tools as you and and you want to beat him even harder than everyone else.

"So I think that's going to be the managing part that's going to be very, very tricky for McLaren. They've done everything else, fantastic.

"I think Lando and Oscar are both fantastic drivers. I don't think they need to be elbows out, I think there needs to be a clear path of what they [McLaren] want to achieve and how they want to achieve it."