Johnny Herbert reckons Oscar Piastri should dig in his heels at McLaren and prove he can be the team's number one driver, but the Australian's fanbase isn't having it. Herbert thinks Piastri needs to stand up for himself more and push management to believe he's got what it takes to lead the squad, rather than accept a supporting role to Lando Norris. The legendary former driver even drew a parallel to Mark Webber's time at Red Bull, suggesting that's the playbook Piastri should follow.

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Thing is, the fans flooding F1 Oversteer's social media reckon Herbert's got it backwards. They're telling Piastri to bail on McLaren entirely instead of sticking around to fight for respect. The sentiment's pretty harsh too, with supporters calling the Woking team a 'toxic environment' and insisting the Australian will never reach his potential while staying put. One fan even suggested Piastri should 'leave that British team,' while others reckon he'd be better off jumping ship to Audi, Red Bull, or basically anywhere else that values him.

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The frustration's completely understandable when you look at what happened at Monza. Piastri had built a commanding 34-point championship lead with 15 rounds done, but McLaren ordered him to hand his P2 spot back to Norris during the 2025 Italian Grand Prix. Yeah, technically Piastri had undercut his teammate, but the optics were rough and it played right into the narrative that the team favors Norris when things get tight.

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Herbert disagrees with the notion that McLaren actively prefers Norris, insisting the team does distribute development fairly between both drivers. But the damage is done in the court of public opinion. Whether Herbert's right or wrong about McLaren's intentions, the fans have spoken loud and clear. Their message to Piastri is simple: don't waste your prime years proving yourself to a team that might not get you anyway. Find somewhere that will fight for you from day one.

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