The air in the Formula 1 paddock is often thick with tension and rumor, but rarely does a statement hit with the force of an earthquake. Jos Verstappen, the famously blunt father of four-time world champion Max Verstappen and a veteran of F1’s most cutthroat eras, unleashed an absolute bombshell that has sent shockwaves directly through the heart of the McLaren team.

Verstappen’s words are not mere speculation; they are a public accusation of political maneuvering, suggesting that Oscar Piastri’s sudden, dramatic slump in form is not the result of driver error or pressure, but rather a calculated, subtle shift in internal team dynamics. He is publicly questioning what is really happening inside the Woking-based outfit, positing that the team is leaning decisively toward its British star, Lando Norris, and that Piastri is rapidly becoming the secondary, and ultimately, expendable, player.

The Warning from an F1 Insider

Coming from a man who has not only competed at the highest level but has also meticulously guided his son through the most ruthless team dynamics in the sport’s history, Verstappen’s statement carries the weight of prophecy. It is, more than a suggestion, a stark warning.

“Surely Piastri hasn’t forgotten how to drive,” Jos stated flatly, his words dripping with disbelief. This single, challenging question cuts through the team’s careful public relations narrative. How, he asks, could a driver who once commanded a championship lead of 34 points suddenly struggle to keep pace? For Jos, this kind of precipitous performance drop “doesn’t just happen. It’s strange,” he called it, raising the suspicion that McLaren’s internal balance has been quietly, yet fundamentally, slipping away.

This is not the first time a team’s focus has tilted, but it is rare for such an accusation to be made so directly and publicly by an influential figure outside the team’s immediate orbit. Jos Verstappen is not tiptoeing around the subject; he is shining a harsh, uncomfortable spotlight on the non-racing side of Formula 1—the politics, the perception, and the power struggle that can dismantle a driver’s season, regardless of their raw talent.

The Lando Norris Phenomenon: Brand Over Balance

At the core of Verstappen’s analysis is the inescapable, marketing-driven reality of modern F1: the rise of Lando Norris as a global brand ambassador. Norris, with his undeniable charisma, engaging humor, and massive social media appeal, has become the undisputed face of McLaren’s resurgence. He is the golden ticket, the social media sensation, and the marketing dream that sponsors crave.

“When one driver becomes the brand, the other becomes expendable,” Jos warned. This is the cold, hard logic of the F1 machine he understands so well. In this ecosystem, a driver’s value is measured not only in lap times but in marketability. Norris’s status is not his fault—he is simply capitalizing on his talent and personality—but it creates a dangerous dynamic for his teammate.

Jos fears that, even without an explicit directive, the natural flow of attention and resources—the subtle, subconscious support of engineers, the priority in strategy meetings, the constant presence in press releases—begins to consolidate around the ‘star.’ Right now, according to Jos, Piastri’s promising season is starting to look like a “brilliant talent slowly fading into the background while the spotlight burns brighter on his teammate.” The perception in Formula 1 is a powerful thing; once people start to believe a team has a preferred driver, that image is nearly impossible to shake, eroding internal trust and external confidence.

The Piastri Paradox: A Lead Vanished

The numbers undeniably back up Jos’s sense of unease. Earlier in the season, Piastri showed silky consistency, dominating the headlines with mature, error-free driving that saw him build a 34-point lead. Yet, that momentum has entirely vanished. He has endured several races without a podium, and his consistency has been replaced by visible frustration and self-doubt.

The recent string of costly incidents—a crash, lackluster pace, and a flat weekend—have seen that massive lead completely evaporate, turning into a deficit to Norris. McLaren’s official explanation points to technical details: Piastri’s smoother driving style struggles on low-grip surfaces, a factor of circuit characteristics.

But to Jos Verstappen, this explanation feels like a convenient smokescreen. He repeated his core challenge: “Surely Piastri hasn’t forgotten how to drive.” To a veteran, a shift of this magnitude suggests something deeper—something psychological, or, as he suggests, political, has crept into the team structure.

The psychological toll on Piastri is perhaps the most visible casualty. His signature composure has been fading. His radio messages have become sharper, more uncertain; he has been heard questioning strategy and doubting his own setup. These subtle fractures are exactly what Jos was warning about: once a driver begins to feel isolated inside his own team, performance dips are an inevitable consequence.

The Webber Warning: Don’t Let History Repeat Itself

Verstappen did not stop at criticizing the team; he issued a direct and unambiguous call-to-action to Piastri’s manager, former F1 star Mark Webber. His advice was as blunt as it was direct: “Stop staying quiet. Stand up for your driver and take control before it’s too late.”

Jos urged Webber to “go inside that garage and bang your fist on the table.” This is not friendly advice; it is a survival strategy passed down from one fighter to another. Jos knows the cost of silence. He knows what happens when a driver becomes the “underdog” inside his own team.

The irony of the situation is not lost on observers. Mark Webber himself lived through this exact kind of dynamic over a decade ago at Red Bull, when Sebastian Vettel became the undisputed “chosen one.” Webber knows the feeling of fighting two distinct battles at once: the one against a phenomenal teammate on the asphalt, and the even tougher one against internal perception and favoritism off it. Now, as Piastri’s manager, he is looking at a terrifying mirror image of his own past.

Jos’s message is crystal clear: “Don’t let history repeat itself.” Webber’s role in this saga is now critical; he must show the necessary strength and fight back within McLaren’s walls to rebuild Piastri’s authority before the situation spirals completely out of control.

The Unshakable Momentum

While Piastri struggles, Norris’s success only deepens the divide. His recent victory was commanding, and his confidence appears unshakable. The constant deluge of positive media surrounding Norris—every headline, every press release revolving around him—feeds directly into the hierarchy Jos described: Norris is the star, Piastri is the supporting act.

In Formula 1, this hierarchy does not need to be official to become a devastating reality. Once the momentum shifts, the subtle, almost invisible balance of power inside the team shifts with it.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown have tried to counter the narrative, insisting there is “no bias, no emotion, just racing.” Brown even made the bold claim that he would rather “lose the championship to Max Verstappen than play favorites within his team.” This statement, however, highlights how aware they are of the volatile speculation. The mere fact they feel the need to address the accusation publicly shows how critical and unstable the situation has become. The pressure to maintain absolute equality while fighting for a championship is immense, and Jos Verstappen’s words have just amplified that pressure exponentially.

Jos Verstappen doesn’t speak unless he sees something brewing. His bombshell statement forces the entire paddock to stop whispering and start listening. If Webber and Piastri do not take a decisive stand now, the title that once seemed within easy reach could slip away not due to a lack of talent, but due to a failure to manage the brutal, political realities of Formula 1. The fight for the championship has now moved off the track and into the high-stakes arena of internal power dynamics, and according to Jos, Piastri is already losing. The next phase will determine if this young talent can survive what his manager once endured.