McLaren to give Lando Norris priority in Formula 1 title battle
McLaren has decided to prioritize Lando Norris (24) over his teammate Oscar Piastri (23) in the ongoing Formula 1 championship contest against Red Bull's Max Verstappen (26), as stated by team principal Andrea Stella during an interview with the BBC on Thursday.
Norris, representing Britain, currently holds the second position in the standings, trailing the three-time world champion Verstappen by 62 points, with eight races and three sprint events remaining. Meanwhile, Piastri from Australia is in fourth place, 106 points behind the leader.
There are still a total of 232 points available in the drivers' championship.
McLaren is pursuing both the drivers' and constructors' titles and has the opportunity to ascend to the top of the constructors' standings at the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, being only eight points behind the previously dominant Red Bull team.
Stella emphasized to the broadcaster, "Our overarching goal is to achieve victory, but we aim to do so in a principled manner."
"We will provide preferential support to Lando, but we intend to maintain our core values throughout this process."
"Our guiding principles dictate that the interests of the team take precedence. We place great importance on sportsmanship as we engage in racing, and we strive to ensure fairness for both drivers."
Stella indicated that McLaren aimed to prevent a recurrence of the circumstances experienced at Monza, where Norris secured pole position and Piastri started second, yet ultimately lost to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
In that particular race, Piastri overtook Norris at the second chicane, while Leclerc capitalized on the situation to take second place from Norris, who had to decelerate, ultimately winning through strategic decisions. Verstappen finished in sixth place.
"The interests of the team take precedence, and these are the scenarios we must address, as the manner in which we approached the race in Monza inadvertently allowed for this outcome," stated Stella. The former Ferrari engineer noted that both drivers had acknowledged the situation.
"The discussions have been very cooperative," he continued. "When I asked Oscar if he would be willing to relinquish a victory, he responded, 'It’s difficult, but if it’s the right decision at this moment, I will do it.'"
SportsLigue