McLaren will place their confidence in Piastri for the championship - Schumacher.

      "I believe it's now been internally decided"

      McLaren may have already determined behind closed doors to view Oscar Piastri as the unassuming ‘number 1’ for the rest of 2025. Although Norris was actually faster throughout the Montreal weekend, his championship aspirations took a significant hit when he collided with his teammate's car, who is leading the championship, and subsequently had to retire.

      "While Norris is quick," said former Alpha Tauri boss Franz Tost to Auto Bild, "he is hindering his own progress. The pressure also comes from his teammate, who is driving like a world champion. McLaren is already aware of who excels in high-pressure situations."

      When questioned whether Norris can handle the mental aspects of a world championship challenge, Tost acknowledged, "I don’t know." However, Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko is confident. "Piastri is our competitor in the championship race," he stated. "He possesses mental strength."

      Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher shares the same belief, which he thinks has also taken root among McLaren's management, even though they publicly deny it. "I believe it has been settled internally that Piastri is the primary focus for the team regarding the championship," Schumacher told Sky Deutschland. "Lando is demonstrating too many weaknesses and making too many errors. Furthermore, his reaction after the crash with Piastri shows it. He apologized, which highlights what a great person he is, but great individuals seldom secure titles," the German remarked.

      Nico Rosberg believes Norris could benefit from psychological assistance, but Schumacher disagrees: "You can’t transform a cow into a tiger," he remarked. "Lando knows he has the capability, but he also realizes that a small mistake could cost him everything. Drivers like Piastri, Fernando Alonso, and Max Verstappen—who remains the king of this discipline—simply go for it. They assert, ‘I’m the best here, I’ll just drive hard. I’ll take the risk.’

      "Lando is different. He excels in long runs, but during qualifying, it would be advisable for him to switch off his thoughts and focus on the enjoyable aspect of being a driver—speeding around the track," he added.

      Danish former racing driver John Nielsen believes Norris has hit his lowest point in Canada. "To be completely honest, that was the kind of error you see in Formula Ford," he told Ekstra Bladet. "Norris often claims he can be a world champion while being a nice guy, but we will see. He has the talent, but Piastri is much more mentally resilient.

      "Norris is every mother-in-law's ideal, but he lacks the killer instinct that Verstappen, (George) Russell, and Piastri possess."