No 'cardboard' separates Norris and Piastri in Abu Dhabi season finale
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will have to work together during the title-deciding season finale of the 2025 F1 season.
"I don’t think Zak or Andrea would let us even if we wanted to. So, no. It’s the same as every weekend."- Lando Norris
The two McLaren drivers are in a three-way battle for the 2025 F1 World Drivers' Championship this weekend in Abu Dhabi.
Currently Norris is in first place in the standings. Max Verstappen is in second place trailing the Briton by 12 points while Piastri is 16 points behind his teammate.
The two teammates explained they will continue to work together this weekend as well and share data.
Piastri initially joked: "We’ve set up a cardboard barrier between the two of us."
He then continued on a more serious note: "No, it’s the same as usual. Obviously, we want to go out and make the car as quick as possible and win. We’ve always wanted the same opportunities to go out and win races. So that’s exactly the same this weekend."
Norris then explained that team boss Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown would not allow them to have that ‘cardboard barrier’ in place.
The championship leader explained: "Nothing more to add. I don’t think Zak or Andrea would let us even if we wanted to. So, no. It’s the same as every weekend."
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Piastri to miss FP1 in Abu Dhabi
Each year, a full-time driver has to give up their car twice to a driver with no more than two F1 Grands Prix starts under their belt. This weekend, IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward will replace Piastri in the MCL39 in FP1.
See the complete list of drivers participating in FP1 below!
| Team | Replaced driver | Driver in action |
| McLaren | Oscar Piastri | Pato O'Ward |
| Ferrari | Lewis Hamilton | Arthur Leclerc |
| Red Bull | Yuki Tsunoda | Arvid Lindblad |
| Williams | Alexander Albon | Luke Browning |
| Aston Martin | Fernando Alonso | Cian Shields |
| Aston Martin | Lance Stroll | Jak Crawford |
| Haas | Esteban Ocon | Ryo Hirakawa |
| Racing Bulls | Liam Lawson | Ayumu Iwasa |
| Alpine | Pierre Gasly | Paul Aron |
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