McLaren executed the strategy effectively to overcome Max.

      "They caught us off guard with that."

      Oscar Piastri indeed took on the role of the loyal teammate - and McLaren’s strategy team finally sprang into action - as Lando Norris clinched the 2025 world championship in Abu Dhabi by a mere 2 points. Dr. Helmut Marko confirmed that Verstappen's plan from pole was clear - back the field up, incite chaos, and hope that Norris would face attacks and drop down the order. "But as long as the two McLarens held second and third places, we had no leverage," the Austrian stated.

      "They made a smart choice putting Oscar Piastri on hard tyres. That’s why we couldn’t slow the field down, as Piastri would have gained from that." Piastri even managed to pass Norris early on - a maneuver now recognized as strategic rather than aggressive. "We had talked about the strategy of Oscar making things challenging for Max with the hard tyres," team principal Andrea Stella revealed.

      Norris admitted he didn’t resist his teammate. "I would have been thrilled for Oscar to win the race and finish second in the championship. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen." Stella explained that differing strategies aimed to disrupt Red Bull’s control. "Running both cars on distinct strategies made it tougher for Max to manage the pace," he mentioned.

      Even Red Bull's head, Laurent Mekies, acknowledged they were taken aback. "They surprised us with that," he said, referring to Piastri’s hard tyres. "It was a very clever move on their part. It provided them with more options. We had to contend for the win on two fronts."

      Some in the paddock believe that under Christian Horner, Red Bull might have reacted more aggressively - but Mekies stood by the team’s approach. "We fought fair and clean. That doesn’t mean we didn’t push ourselves to the limit - and sometimes even beyond," said the Frenchman. "Yet, we also respect our competitors."

      Beneath that facade of respect, Red Bull's supporting team stumbled. Yuki Tsunoda received a penalty for essentially forcing Norris off the track while trying to impede him for Verstappen. Marko didn't hold back: "Tsunoda attempted, but he went too far." His assessment of the demoted Japanese driver was brutally clear: "We didn’t need the last race to come to that conclusion. I hope Hadjar performs that role better."

      Ultimately, Norris’s margin was just 2 points - less than the total Verstappen lost due to his outburst during the incident with George Russell in Barcelona. "The only thing you talk about is Barcelona," Max snapped at a reporter. "You’re giving me a ridiculous grin now." Marko, however, admitted the damage was real: "In Barcelona, Max also played a part in that. It’s great that we won the most races this season, but in ten years, everyone will only remember who became champion."