McLaren Wipes Slate as Verstappen Narrows Title Race

McLaren has formally “wiped the slate clean” between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri after internal reviews of two first‑lap/sprint incidents — Norris’s collision with Piastri in Singapore and Piastri’s crash in the Austin sprint that also involved Nico Hülkenberg. Team principal Andrea Stella and both drivers held constructive talks and agreed to remove earlier repercussions reportedly applied to Norris so the squad can focus on racing. The decision comes as Max Verstappen has won three of the last four races, cutting McLaren’s cushion and turning the 2025 title into a three‑way fight with Lewis Hamilton — Piastri leads Norris by 14 points and leads Verstappen by about 40 with 141 points still available. Stella said McLaren will not favour one driver over the other unless the mathematics force a choice and that on‑track conduct will be managed via a shared framework handled case‑by‑case. He added the team will prioritise maximising the current car package rather than introducing major upgrades this season. Norris said the reset improves his chances and that he feels comfortable in second while acknowledging the car remains tricky to extract consistently.