McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, battling for the Formula 1 world title, have been cautioned against resorting to 'psychological games,' which a former F1 driver calls a 'cheap' tactic.
Why it matters
An intra-team title fight is always intense, and the debate over how drivers compete – purely on track or with mind games – is crucial. With Piastri currently leading Norris by nine points with 10 rounds left, their rivalry is heating up, drawing comparisons to past contentious battles.
The big picture
The last significant intra-team title battle was between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes from 2014 to 2016. That rivalry saw both drivers engage in psychological warfare. Hamilton won in 2014 and 2015, but Rosberg took the 2016 title before retiring, citing the mental toll.
The warning
Former F1 driver Perry McCarthy believes that if Piastri and Norris adopt similar psychological tactics, it would make them "look cheap." Speaking to RacingNews365, McCarthy dismissed such efforts as a "waste of energy."
McCarthy's view
McCarthy emphasized that true victory comes from on-track performance. "The way to win is to actually be faster and win on track, and do the job; that is what they both need to do," he stated. He added that attempting mind games would likely be ineffective against either driver and would ultimately detract from their professional image, making them "look a little bit cheap."