McLaren alarm: Norris sanction removed to halt Verstappen's charge

The Woking squad, who sealed the Constructors’ Championship in Singapore, had initially imposed what was believed to be a qualifying priority in favour of Piastri as a consequence of the incident in Singapore.

However, after both drivers were taken out of the Sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas, Piastri after clipping Norris in a multi-car collision, McLaren opted to wipe the slate clean.

Stella explained that the move wasn’t just about harmony within the team, but also a strategic reaction to Verstappen’s late-season surge in form. The four-time World Champion has clawed back a significant deficit in the standings, outscoring both McLaren drivers across the last four Grands Prix.

“As usual, we review things, team, drivers, in a very open way, in a very constructive way,” Stella said in Mexico City. “We thought that the best approach moving forward was to start with a clean slate and focus in the only direction on which we want to focus, which is, make sure that the Drivers’ Championship is papaya.

With five races remaining, Verstappen has closed to within 40 points of championship leader Oscar Piastri and just 26 of Norris. McLaren’s shift in tone and unity comes at a crucial time, one where the team’s greatest threat may not be internal friction, but the Red Bull driver charging from behind.

According to the Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko, Stella's suggestions that the Austrian team had decided to sacrifice 2026 "a bit" in order to achieve success in 2025 were remarkably similar to those of Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff's during the 2021 title fight between both teams.

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