The debate raging through the Formula 1 paddock is as simple as it is agonizing: should McLaren, the team that has dominated the season, finally abandon its long-held philosophy of equality and back one of its drivers for the championship? With only five races left, the relentless threat of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is no longer a distant storm; it is a full-blown hurricane bearing down on them. The pressure is mounting, and the team’s steadfast refusal to make a choice is becoming more terrifying to its fans than the rival they claim not to fear.

Team principal Andrea Stella, a man known for his calm and methodical approach, has remained firm. Speaking after the United States Grand Prix, he insisted that the team is still “a long way from choosing one driver over the other.” The official doctrine from the McLaren Technology Centre is one of absolute fairness. “We want to remain fair and we want to apply equality to both drivers,” Stella stated, clarifying that the ultimate goal is to ensure a McLaren driver becomes world champion, but not at the expense of their principles. The team wants to allow both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to chase their dreams, at least “as long as it makes sense.”

The problem is, it may already have stopped making sense.

The “Verstappen threat,” once dismissed, has become “very real.” Just one month ago, the reigning champion was over 70 points adrift and looked to be out of the fight. Now, that gap has been slashed to just 40 points behind the championship leader, Piastri, with 141 points still on the table. This “amazing and scary” turnaround has been fueled by Verstappen’s relentless form. He has won three of the last four races, including a perfect 33-point weekend in Austin, claiming victory in both the sprint and the main Grand Prix. Red Bull has found a new gear, and Verstappen is driving with the ruthless precision of a champion who smells blood. With every passing weekend, the gap closes.

For seasoned observers, this entire scenario triggers a painful sense of déjà vu. A chill runs down the spine of the McLaren faithful as they remember the catastrophic 2007 season. That year, McLaren had the fastest car and two generational talents: the fiery two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and a blindingly quick rookie named Lewis Hamilton. The two drivers fought tooth and nail, race after race, and the team, caught between its established star and its prodigy, refused to intervene. The result? They bled points to each other, culminating in a disastrous season finale where both drivers lost the championship to Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen by a single, agonizing point.

McLaren won the most races that season but ended the year with nothing in the driver’s championship. Now, many are “worried that history is about to repeat itself.” The parallels are “uncomfortable.” Once again, they have the fastest car. Once again, they have two brilliant drivers. And once again, their refusal to make a “tough decision” could allow a rival to “sneak through and take the title.”

If McLaren finally decides to break its own rules and back one driver, the question becomes: which one? On paper, the choice should be obvious. Oscar Piastri, the young Australian sensation, currently leads the championship. He holds the 40-point buffer over Verstappen and, as the one in the lead, “deserves the team’s full support.”

But there is a deeply worrying problem. Piastri, the man in the best position, is the one struggling. His fifth-place finish in Austin was just the latest in a “worrying run of results” that has seen him fail to stand on the podium in the last three races. He appears to be struggling under the immense championship pressure, even admitting after the race that he “doesn’t have any great ideas” about how to fix his performance issues. The driver who should be the clear choice is showing signs of fading at the worst possible moment.

On the other side of the garage is Lando Norris. He is driving with renewed confidence and formidable pace. He finished second in Austin, showing “better speed and mental strength” than his teammate. Many in the paddock believe Norris is the driver more “able to beat Vstappen in a straight fight.” But his problem is the math. Norris sits 14 points behind Piastri and, more critically, is the one further back from Verstappen.

This creates what the team calls an “almost impossible problem.” The driver in the best championship position is struggling with form. The driver in the best form is further back in the championship. There is no clear, correct answer. Any decision McLaren makes could “easily turn out to be wrong.”

Unsurprisingly, neither driver is willing to surrender. When asked directly if the team should impose orders, Piastri was clear: “I don’t know, I don’t think so.” He is not ready to accept a supporting role, and why would he? This isn’t just about one season. The 2026 rules will completely reset the sport, and there is no guarantee McLaren will have a championship-winning car. For both Piastri and Norris, this season might be the “best and possibly only chance” they ever get to become world champion. Asking one to give up that dream for the other is asking for the impossible.

The risk of doing nothing, however, is becoming clearer with every race. The sprint race crash in Austin, where both McLarens collided and took each other out while Verstappen cruised to victory, was a perfect, horrifying example. If they continue to let their drivers “take points off each other,” they create an open door for Verstappen. The worst-case scenario—losing the championship to a slower car—would be “remembered as one of the biggest mistakes in Formula 1 history.”

But the risk of acting is just as perilous. What if they back Piastri, only to watch him “continue to struggle”? Or what if they back Norris, and a “betrayed” Piastri suddenly “finds his speed again”? Either choice could create “serious problems” and “damage the relationship” between the drivers and the team for years to come.

There is also a colder, more cynical question to consider. Does McLaren truly care enough about the driver’s title to break their core philosophy? The team has already won the coveted Constructor’s Championship, which brings in the prize money and solidifies the business benefits. The driver’s championship is about “sporting glory and respect,” but it doesn’t carry the same financial weight. It’s possible McLaren “might truly believe that keeping their values is more important than winning one driver’s championship.”

Time is running out. Only five races remain. The upcoming race in Mexico is likely the “last real chance to put a clear plan in place.” Yet, Andrea Stella’s comments show a team that “isn’t ready to make that call.” They seem to be hoping the situation “fixes itself naturally.”

McLaren has two drivers who could be world champions and a car fast enough to do it. It’s a dream for any team, but it has created a “nightmare situation” that could see them end up with nothing. If they back one driver and win, they’ll be called geniuses. If they back one and fail, they’ll be criticized for abandoning their values for nothing. And if they do nothing and Verstappen wins, they will be “remembered alongside the 2007 team that let a championship slip away.”

The next few races will show whether McLaren has the courage to make an impossible decision, or whether they will stick to their ideas and simply hope for the best. Either way, the pressure is building, and the clock is ticking.