If you’ve been glued to the F1 drama this year, then you are probably aware of McLaren’s “no team orders” strategy that had everyone on edge the whole season, especially with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri battling a close title fight like true rivals. The Papaya boys delivered a double title win in 2025, with the constructors’ title locked early and Norris snatching the drivers’ crown by a razor-thin two points over Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi.
But did this fair-play magic really work, or was it just a recipe for chaos? Buckle up, because Zak Brown just dropped the biggest hint yet on what’s coming for 2026.
McLaren’s 2025 No Team Orders Policy
Right from lights out in Bahrain, McLaren stuck to their guns with total fairness, no favouritism, no “let the leader through” radio calls. Both Norris and Piastri got equal shots at glory, even when point leads flipped like a bad pit stop.
Zak Brown beamed about it at the FIA gala, saying they went into the finale with two drivers battling for the championship when “everyone said that couldn’t be done.”
“Fantastic season. All the men and women at McLaren have done an unbelievable job, led by our two awesome drivers. Of course, the job Andrea has done leading our team. To go into the final race with two drivers fighting for the world championship, when everyone said that couldn’t be done, I’m just very proud of how McLaren went racing, and that’s exactly what we plan to do next year,” he said.
Andrea Stella echoed the pride, crediting the duo for points, podiums, and the constructors’ crown through pure racing. He said, “The drivers are those who do the job. They are the ones that deliver the results, the points, the victories, the podiums, which ultimately made us the constructors’ champions.”
“And also, we are very, very proud of how the drivers conducted themselves, allowing McLaren to go racing. That’s what we do, we go racing, and we did it with equality and fairness, so thank you to Lando and Oscar,” he added
Will They Follow Team Orders in 2026?
Zak Brown teased the full truth at the prize-giving: “That’s exactly what we plan to do next year.” No signs of papaya rules flipping to strict team orders. McLaren’s CEO hinted they’ll keep the fair-play faith, letting Norris and Piastri go wheel-to-wheel in 2026.
Read More
With new regulations coming, expect the same “go racing” mantra that bagged both titles. Stella backed it up, praising how the drivers “conducted themselves with equality and fairness.” Fans of clean fights, McLaren isn’t switching to Red Bull-style deference just yet.
In the end, McLaren’s no-team-orders gamble paid off big in 2025, and 2026 looks set to keep the spice alive. Zak Brown and co. proved fairness wins races and titles. Stay tuned, grid warriors; the papaya party rolls on!
Also read: F1 ACADEMY 2026 Calendar Unveiled, Here’s The Full Schedule
