Oscar Piastri in the US paddock - Photo: Race Pictures

Piastri declares there's 'no favouritism or bias' at McLaren

00:25, 17 Oct

Updated: 02:29, 17 Oct

byLuke-John Buckle

Oscar Piastri is adamant that he and teammate Lando Norris have equal status within the McLaren team as they battle for the world championship.

"I'm very happy that there's no favouritism or bias."

- Oscar Piastri

McLaren have set the benchmark this season and have already wrapped up their second consecutive Constructors' Championship last time out at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Piastri told GPblog in Austin that he is satisfied that there are no favourites among McLaren's driver lineup.

The Australian said: "I'm very happy with that. We analysed the incident, and there has been responsibility placed on Lando ultimately in that collision. But I'm very happy that there's no favouritism or bias."

Despite McLaren holding a comfortable advantage on the Constructors' Championship, Max Verstappen has closed the gap in the last three rounds.

The reigning world champion won in Italy and Azerbaijan before taking second place in Singapore. Verstappen is now 63 points behind championship leader Piastri with six rounds to go.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri celebrating the constructors' title - Photo: Race Pictures

This may put McLaren under slightly more pressure, but Piastri feels he shouldn't take priority over his teammate Norris in the title battle.

He said: "I don't think so, no. I think every driver wants a fair chance to try and win a Championship. I think for me, it's more than fair to let us both keep fighting for that. No, I don't think that's the approach we should take."

Piastri leads the championship standings by 22 points

Piastri has been very quick this year and holds a 22-point lead over his championship rival Norris.

The Australian driver has made very few errors, which came on a difficult day in Australia and an uncharacteristic weekend in Azerbaijan.

The title battle is still very competitive, and both drivers have taken consecutive victories up until this point.

GPblog’s Latest F1 Paddock Update

Want to keep up with everything happening in the Formula 1 paddock? GPblog’s F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to stay informed. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.