Oscar Piastri says it will “not be the easiest decision for anybody” involved to implement a McLaren order for him to help team-mate Lando Norris win the world championship in Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Norris goes into Sunday’s season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit 12 points clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen with Piastri four points further back, with the Brit needing a top-three finish to guarantee the title.
Piastri’s already faint hopes of leapfrogging both his title rivals suffered a further blow on Saturday as he qualified behind them both in third, with Verstappen beating Norris to pole.
McLaren chief executive Zak Brown confirmed exclusively to Sky Sports F1 on Saturday that his squad were willing to implement team orders on Sunday should a situation arise where Piastri’s hopes were over, but the Australian could help Norris.
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Highlights from Qualifying at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Asked by Sky Sports F1 about the prospect of team orders being implemented if needed, Piastri said: “We’ll still discuss it. I’ve not had any direct discussions about that yet.
“But until either Max or Lando cross the line ahead of me then I’m still in the running, so we’ll see what that looks like tomorrow.”
Then asked whether there’s a bigger long-term picture to consider to ensure relations within the team remain strong heading into the 2026 season, Piastri added: “Definitely, yeah.
“It’s obviously not the easiest decision for anybody but, again, we’ll discuss it before the race.”
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Craig Slater explains what Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris all need to do in order to clinch the title in Abu Dhabi.
Piastri will still begin the race with hope of pulling off an unlikely turnaround, and admitted his best chance might be by sitting back and allowing Verstappen and Norris to battle at the start.
Asked about how he intends to approach the start, Piastri said: “I’m not really sure yet, I haven’t thought that far ahead.
“But obviously to try and win the championship I need more than just simply win the race. We’ll see what entails.”
Pushed on whether that could involve watching fireworks between Verstappen and Norris he added: “It could do! We’ll see how it gets played.”
Stella: McLaren need to deliver championship options for both drivers
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said he expects “a complex race” but insisted his priority was to ensure both of his drivers retain their “options and possibilities” for the title.
The chief threats from behind are Mercedes’ George Russell in fourth and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in fifth, with either having the potential to add drama by breaking into the top three.
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Anthony Davidson was at the SkyPad to analyse how Max Verstappen pipped Lando Norris to pole to set up an epic finale in Abu Dhabi.
Stella told Sky Sports F1: “(It was) a positive day in the economy of the championship. It’s in our hands but we need to deliver tomorrow.
“We are not alone – Russell, Leclerc, it will be a complex race but one where we need to do the best job possible and deliver and let Lando and Oscar have their options, possibilities for the championship.”
Despite having been beaten to pole by Verstappen, Stella was pleased with the performance of both of his drivers.
“Having Oscar and Lando so close is the story of the season,” he said. “This qualifying is symbolic of what’s been a very, very close performance between Oscar and Lando, and it’s fair and good they are both here fighting for the championship.
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Lando Norris insists his mindset is focuses on how he can win Sunday’s Abu Dhabi GP and is not focussed on any possible games from title rival Max Verstappen.
“Verstappen and Red Bull had one or two tenths more than us today, fair enough they are on pole position.
“Happy with the performance. I think Oscar and Lando managed to extract what was available in the car today.
“It was not a simple qualifying. This has been the tightest qualifying in terms of how compact the whole field was between the fastest and slowest.”
Sky Sports F1’s Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Sunday December 7
9.10am: F2 Feature Race
11am: Grand Prix Sunday: Abu Dhabi GP build-up*
1pm: THE ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX*
3pm: Chequered Flag: Abu Dhabi GP reaction*
4pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
The 2025 Formula 1 season concludes with the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend with Sunday’s race at 1pm (build-up from 11am). Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime