David Croft reckons McLaren's got to stop sitting on the fence and make a call about their driver lineup. After Lando Norris claimed his first win of 2026 in Hungary, the legendary commentator says it's time for team principal Andrea Stella to commit to one driver. With Mercedes looking invincible and the championship still very much up for grabs, McLaren can't afford to keep running two number ones anymore.

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The timing couldn't be worse for Oscar Piastri. The Australian's been struggling all season against his world champion teammate, and a gearbox failure at the Hungarian Grand Prix cost him what could've been his breakthrough moment. But Croft's assessment is blunt: Piastri's simply not matching Norris' pace consistently. Whether it's qualifying, race day, or across a full weekend, the gap keeps showing up. For a team trying to stay in title contention, that's something they can't ignore.

McLaren have prided themselves on backing both drivers equally since Piastri arrived at Woking, and it worked when they were dominant. Times have changed though. With Mercedes and Ferrari still strong, McLaren need every advantage they can squeeze out. Croft thinks that means backing the driver who's clearly quicker right now, which is Norris. The Brit's pace was on another level in Hungary, and he got the job done without needing team orders to bail him out.

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Here's the thing though: it's not about throwing Piastri under the bus completely. McLaren still need to give him a fair shot to perform. But Croft's point is crystal clear. If Piastri can't find a way to match Norris' pace after the summer break, then the team's got to start thinking strategically about maximizing points. The constructors' championship is still wide open, and with the drivers' title potentially gettable for Norris too, McLaren can't waste resources pretending both drivers are equal when the numbers say otherwise.

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The Hungarian Grand Prix did raise eyebrows though. Norris asked for an undercut strategy that was rejected by the pit wall, yet still came out on top anyway. That's either great strategy or a sign that McLaren didn't need fancy tactics because Norris was just faster. Either way, it's the kind of performance that makes picking a number one a lot easier to justify come autumn.

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