'Self-interest outweighs team interest': The ticking time bomb that sits under Oscar Piastri's title hopes

Christian Horner acknowledged that "at some point self-interest will always outweigh team interest" when drivers are looking to win races in Formula 1.

This notion may cause the downfall of McLaren's title hopes as both drivers aim to clinch their maiden championship trophy.

Oscar Piastri is currently leading the standings by a fine margin to his teammate Lando Norris and adversary Max Verstappen.

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But the lack of priority to the Australian driver could leave him vulnerable to lose his grip on the championship to the Red Bull golden child.

Right now, McLaren has no clear number one driver.

And the team has said on the record that it plans to have both Piastri and Norris fight each other on track for race wins if necessary.

In Imola, Norris leapfrogged his teammate during the race after the Briton benefitted from a well-timed pit stop and safety car procedures.

Piastri was stuck out on track in bunched traffic, with his teammate on fresher tyres behind him.

He felt the team made the "wrong call" but admitted his mistake on the first lap to Verstappen led him to be deprioritised, even though he was the pole-sitter to start the race.

When asked afterwards, Norris gave his two cents on McLaren's conundrum.

"I lose time through that [fighting], and then he loses time, but it's what we have to do in order to battle for a championship," Norris said.

"If you try and make someone happy, the other one's going to be unhappy, so it's the way it is.

"I think we handled it well, and it was a good job by the team."

In comparison, their closest rival Verstappen is largely flying solo in the Red Bull team as the number one driver and has done so for many years since the departure of Daniel Ricciardo.

There has never been a doubt in the team that Verstappen would be prioritised in strategy and car upgrades, meaning the Dutchman has been given the front foot in championship contention.

"We've got a very clear number one in our team, and that's where the main focus is," team principal Horner admitted.

Red Bull has newly introduced Yuki Tsunoda to head out on track and block either McLaren driver, or any other rival, to benefit Verstappen whenever possible.

Horner would know a thing or two about team orders, one of the most famous driver feuds happened in his garage.

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and Australian teammate Mark Webber went toe-to-toe in the 2013 Malaysia Grand Prix after Vettel disobeyed 'Multi 21' team orders.

Instead of leaving Webber in the unchallenged lead of the race, Vettel snuck around the outside of the Australian with 13 laps to go and clinched the victory, collecting valuable points towards his championship win in the same year.

This caused a huge rift between the two, who already had a frosty relationship.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg also fell victim to awkward team orders during their stint at Mercedes.

The two were close friends during their climb through the ranks of junior racing but when faced with fighting each other for F1's top honour, their friendship fractured off the back of petty fights and clashes on track.

Rosberg eventually won the 2016 drivers championship by the skin of his teeth, five points ahead of Hamilton, but called the turbulent year "frustrating" when Mercedes let the two squabble and fight for race wins.

Red Bull has long ached for the ease of a clear number one driver to forget the mess of driver infighting.

And they clearly have that now with Verstappen.

But their constructors championship bouts have copped a lethal hit from McLaren's strong driver line-up, the benefit of two quick drivers is that their combined haul of points each weekend puts them far ahead of the field.

McLaren has more than double Red Bull's constructors points to date this season, 279 to 131.

But in terms of Verstappen himself, he is only 22 points behind leader Piastri, meaning any small mistake from the Australian driver could prove deadly for his championship grasp.

The 1997 world champion, Jacques Villeneuve, believed there was external contract negotiations that were hindering McLaren's ability to give team orders.

"They cannot give Lando priority over Oscar because of the [Piastri] contract. He has a contract that protects him," Villeneuve said.

"As long as both drivers can win the championship, there won't be team orders unless there's something significantly big for the constructors' title or if one of them is having an issue in a race like last year."

He also told Sky Sports that McLaren were "weak" for not showing the "strength that Red Bull show consistently, year after year."

But others in the paddock disagree, W Series champ Jamie Chadwick saying it is too early in the season to be choosing a clear number one driver in the Woking-based team just seven races into the 2025 season.

With Monaco this weekend and the rest of the 24-race season ahead, McLaren may need to make a decision on where their priorities lie in the garage.

Formula 1 does not favour the nice, ruthless and cutthroat decisions have become the norm for each team to extract their maximum potential.

Verstappen and Red Bull have excelled at stealing surprise pole positions, in Japan and Saudi Arabia they were the quickest over a single lap by milliseconds.

And tracks that favour qualifying like Monaco and Spa are coming up in the calendar in which McLaren cannot afford to have their drivers tangle and let Verstappen benefit off any disharmony.

If Piastri or Norris take the drivers championship in 2025, it will be the first time a McLaren driver will earn the individual trophy since Hamilton in 2008.

Hoping that Norris and Piastri can sort themselves could lead to a clear winner in the fight, or become an optimistic wish.

In a moment, the amicable trust between the two can be shattered by a silly mistake or betrayal for a pivotal race win.

And McLaren's senior members will need to think about making the decision early before Verstappen flies through any squabbling teammates to sneakily snatch top honours.