Lando Norris has clarified that he and Oscar Piastri are free to race this season as both drivers target maiden Drivers’ Championship titles. McLaren locked out the front row for the Australian Grand Prix, with the Brit on pole position. Last season, there were a number of close calls on track in the McLaren camp that caused internal and external debate.

Piastri overtook Norris on lap one in Monza, catching the 25-year-old by surprise, and there was more drama in Hungary when the Woking squad unintentionally undercut the Australian, triggering an extremely awkward situation. Norris enjoyed the upper hand during the second half of the 2024 season as McLaren prioritised his title fight with Max Verstappen, but the slate has now been wiped clean for 2025.

Explaining the state of play between the two McLaren drivers, Norris said: “There has obviously been discussions because we’re prepared. We know we’re going to have a lot more of this kind of thing over the course of the season.

“There are clearly rules – I answered this the other – there are clearly rules we cannot cross. Both cars will always have to stay in the race, and that kind of thing. But we’re both competitors. That’s clear.

“We both want to fight for a win and fight for victories – that is clear. But there’s just boundaries around the car, so just a little bit more space here and there, but we’re free to race. We’re free to try and win races.

“But what won us last year the Constructors’ [Championship] was how we helped one another out and how we kept things clean and how there was order when there needed to be. But a lot of that was very much later in the season and when external things were happening.

“At the minute, there is none of that, so it’s good. We’re both excited, and we’ll, of course, always have our morning talks, but we’ll wait and see.”

While McLaren seem to have the advantage over the rest of the field, Norris and Piastri cannot rule out the threat of Verstappen in the Grand Prix, particularly if the conditions are wet. The four-time world champion dominated the field in torrential conditions in Brazil towards the end of the 2024 campaign.