Overview

• Piastri leads Norris by 22 points with six races to go, keeping the Australian ahead in McLaren’s two‑driver title battle.
• Verstappen has outscored both McLaren drivers over the last three rounds with wins in Italy and Azerbaijan, sustaining an outside challenge.
• McLaren has gone three events without a victory, eroding the clear advantage it held earlier in the season.
• The team clinched the Constructors’ Championship in Singapore despite a first‑lap collision between its drivers, intensifying scrutiny of its internal 'papaya rules.'
• Steiner says McLaren must either let both drivers race or designate one, contending Piastri should be prioritized and that choosing avoids two unhappy drivers.