World Cup fight in Formula 1
“Unbelievable”: Ralf Schumacher upset about rumors
October 30, 2025 – 10:06 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Rumors about a possible preference for a driver at McLaren are sparking discussions in Formula 1. TV expert Ralf Schumacher finds clear words about the speculation.
As the World Championship battle in Formula 1 continues to heat up, a rumor is causing a lot of discussion: Is Lando Norris preferred over his teammate Oscar Piastri at McLaren? Ralf Schumacher finds clear words about this.
The former Formula 1 driver and TV expert spoke in the Sky podcast “Backstage Pit Lane”. “That’s absolute bullshit, sorry,” said Schumacher. He can hardly believe that such claims are even being made. That is “unbelievable”. Schumacher defended McLaren team boss Zak Brown.
There is no reason to believe that a pilot will be preferred. Brown is a “businessman,” according to the brother of record world champion Michael Schumacher. The team boss “doesn’t care at all” whether Norris or Piastri wins the title in the end – the main thing is that a McLaren driver ends up ahead of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.
“What reason does McLaren have to prefer one or the other? None at all,” clarified Schumacher. Accordingly, it is incomprehensible to him why one of the drivers should intentionally be provided with a worse car.
Nevertheless, according to Ralf Schumacher, from Oscar Piastri’s point of view it could of course seem different. “You always have the subliminal feeling that he doesn’t feel like he’s being treated fairly at the moment,” said the TV expert. You can’t shake the feeling that the Australian has the impression that “something has changed around him”. He knows from his own experience how dangerous such a development can be.
The behavior of Piastri’s manager and ex-driver Mark Webber is also a possible indication. From the outside you can get the impression that things are no longer running smoothly within the team. “And that would of course be fatal,” said the Sky expert.