Lando Norris Facing Possible Demotion After Canadian GP Collision – All Drivers Summoned Amid Post-Race Chaos
Lando Norris may be on the verge of a major shift in status within the McLaren F1 team following his race-ending collision with team-mate Oscar Piastri at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix. While the incident didn’t appear to damage their personal rapport—both drivers offered positive remarks about each other after the race—it could have lasting implications for Norris’ role in McLaren’s championship campaign going forward.
Norris had been running strong in the race until a dramatic clash with Piastri sent him into the barriers and ended his race prematurely. Piastri, on the other hand, was able to recover and finish in a solid fourth place, boosting his standing in the championship. With 10 rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 season now completed, Norris trails Piastri by 22 points in the drivers’ standings—an increasingly significant gap as the title race intensifies.
While there’s no suggestion that the McLaren garage has turned tense—both drivers were quick to defuse speculation about any internal fallout—it’s believed the incident may trigger an internal reassessment at McLaren. There’s growing speculation that the team may now lean more heavily toward Piastri as their lead driver for the remainder of the season, particularly if he continues to maintain a championship lead.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown have consistently stated that there is no official number one or number two driver within the team. The team’s philosophy has been to give both drivers equal opportunities to fight for wins and the championship. However, given the current championship standings and the costly nature of the incident in Montreal, that position may be under quiet review behind closed doors.
The immediate question is whether Norris will now be expected to follow team orders more strictly in future races—particularly if those orders are designed to protect Piastri’s title chances. If the team sees a clear path to the championship through Piastri, strategic calls during races could begin to favour the Australian more consistently.
Further complicating matters is the fact that every single driver on the grid was summoned by the FIA following the chaotic Canadian GP, an extremely rare move that underlines how wild and incident-packed the race truly was. While the full reasoning behind the summons wasn’t immediately made public, it’s believed to relate to broader concerns about race conduct, safety protocols, or behavior under yellow flag and safety car conditions.
For now, Norris remains a central figure in McLaren’s 2025 campaign. But the events of Canada may have marked a turning point—not just in the standings, but in team dynamics. With the next round in Austria fast approaching, all eyes will be on how McLaren handles intra-team relations, strategy, and whether Piastri begins to receive more overt support as their primary title contender.
