McLaren star Oscar Piastri reportedly has a clause in his contract that could significantly impact Lando Norris' quest to dethrone Max Verstappen in the Drivers' Championship, according to Nico Rosberg.

The Woking-based team missed out on crucial points once again on Sunday when Piastri secured second place, and polesitter Norris finished third on the podium behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

It was a disappointing conclusion to a race where McLaren could have made substantial inroads into Red Bull’s lead in both championships, with Max Verstappen starting seventh and Sergio Perez just behind him.

Their hopes of a 1-2 finish were dashed when Piastri made an audacious move on Lap 1 at the Variante della Roggia chicane, squeezing up the inside of Norris. This manoeuvre compromised Norris on the exit, causing him to lose another position to Leclerc.

This occurred despite team principal Andrea Stella’s warning to the drivers, reminding them of the team's 'papaya rules'—the guidelines for fair racing—which implied that the drivers would collaborate rather than compete against each other.

However, Rosberg speculated that Piastri, 23, might have a 'number one' clause in his contract that permits him to race against Norris, provided he remains a contender for the championship.

“It is difficult for Oscar, because in his contract, he will have a number one clause,” he told the Sky Sports F1 podcast. “It won’t state in his contract that 'you need to help Lando'.

“Oscar is driving brilliantly, so he deserves every opportunity, from his perspective, to secure race wins.”

The Australian driver still retains a mathematical chance of winning the title, although he is an outside contender given that he is 44 points behind Norris and a further 62 behind Verstappen, with eight grands prix remaining and three F1 Sprints offering an additional maximum of 24 points.

The longer Piastri remains in the title hunt, the more likely it is that he could hinder Norris' chances of chasing down Verstappen, who no longer has the fastest car on the grid.

“Let’s also remember, mathematically, he can still be World Champion. So there’s also that," Rosberg added. “He’s not that far behind Lando. It’s like 40 points or so, that he’s behind Lando, if I’m guessing now, something like that. So it’s hard to ask Oscar to start forfeiting potential race wins.”

Rosberg has experience in tense title battles, having contested fiercely with Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes between 2013 and 2016. He eventually triumphed over the Briton in 2016 before retiring from Formula 1 altogether.

The former world champion, now 39, issued a warning to McLaren regarding their treatment of Piastri: “You need to be very, very careful,” he said.

“You need to be very careful because you can also destroy a young driver mentally if you suddenly don’t treat him fairly. And it can really damage trust. So it’s something very, very delicate, and that’s why it’s so difficult to manage for them.”