Former grand prix winner Ralf Schumacher believes McLaren is on the verge of designating a de-facto number 1 driver to bolster its 2025 championship campaign.
The Woking-based squad has dominated the 2025 season so far, with most observers deeming the constructors' title all but secured.
However, the intense rivalry between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for the drivers' championship could jeopardise that separate crown, particularly as Max Verstappen faces no significant challenge from his Red Bull teammate.
Norris held an early lead in the standings, but errors and perceived mental fragility, coupled with Piastri's three victories in the last four races, have given the Australian a 16-point advantage over his teammate.
Verstappen trails Norris by another 16 points, despite Red Bull's inferior car.
"Things are getting difficult for Lando now," Schumacher told Sky Deutschland. "If things stay like this until the summer break, then the team will want to make a decision relatively soon, I'm pretty sure of that.
"They definitely won't want to let the drivers' title slip away this year."
McLaren has so far maintained that Norris and Piastri are free to compete under the team's 'Papaya rules'. It is also understood that Mark Webber, Piastri's manager, secured a re-negotiated contract ensuring equal treatment with Norris.
Former Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug, highly familiar with McLaren's operations from the past, supports this approach. "I think it's very good that McLaren is sticking to the old tradition and letting the drivers drive freely," Haug said.
"I think it's too short-sighted to set the course too early. That's completely demotivating, not only for the driver, but also for the driver's team.
"They work with two teams side by side, in parallel. One wants to beat the other as fairly as possible, and that's the only way the team will advance in the long run. That's why I'm an absolute advocate of free racing."
