Piastri's social media misstep sparks rumors of tension at McLaren.

      Oscar Piastri has put both himself and McLaren in a tricky situation after briefly posting Bernie Ecclestone’s recent assertion that the team is favoring Lando Norris in the 2025 championship race. The post was shared on Piastri’s Instagram story on Thursday but was removed a few hours later. According to Sky Italia, it was not directly posted by the Australian, but rather by "one of the individuals managing his social media accounts." Nonetheless, the impact of the post was already felt. Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde commented to Viaplay, "Maybe he accidentally hit the wrong button, but it certainly wasn’t very wise." More critically, van der Garde believes this unintended post indicates a real sentiment within the team. "I do believe Piastri feels that Norris is receiving preferential treatment. We all sense it," he stated. "Norris has been with the team longer and is Zak Brown’s driver—plus, Zak is also his manager. You can tell that Norris is the favored driver. The best one has to win, and in the recent races, that has been Norris." Piastri asserts his downturn is concluding, but Red Bull’s Helmut Marko remains skeptical after Friday's practice in Las Vegas. "Piastri is significantly slower than Norris, making it hard to evaluate the pace of the McLaren," Marko remarked. Former F1 driver Christian Klien proposed a simpler explanation: "Lando has such confidence right now that everything seems to be going his way," he told Kronen Zeitung. "His retirement at Zandvoort dropped him far back, taking all the pressure off. Since then, he has been driving like a man possessed." Despite the mounting chatter, Norris appears unaffected—even by the boos that have started to accompany him as he approaches the world championship. "It’s like finally feeling that you’re doing something right," Norris said in Las Vegas. "When you’re at the top, people want to bring you down. If I perform poorly and receive boos, I deserve it. But if I win and hear them, it doesn’t matter to me." Meanwhile, fans have noticed a decrease in collaborative McLaren video content, raising speculation about increased tension. Norris denies this is the case. "I believe the reason for fewer videos is that we both requested to do fewer," he stated. "We’re racing drivers—we want to race, not create social media content. That’s our wish as drivers."