McLaren is changing its racing philosophy as Lando Norris attempts to chase down Max Verstappen for the Formula 1 title.
Andrea Stella, McLaren F1 Team Principal He told the BBC that the team will begin to make Norris’ success the priority for the remainder of the season. McLaren has let both Norris and Oscar Piastri race for most of the season so far, although it has provided the example of the most team orders of the season.
Verstappen leads the drivers’ standings with 303 points. Norris is second on 241 points and has been faster than Verstappen since the start of the summer.
“Even when I said to Oscar, ‘Would you be willing to give up a victory?’ he said, ‘It hurts, but if it’s the right thing to do now, I’ll do it.’”
“All the drivers are ready to fight for victory, so I am always impressed by the level of team spirit, maturity and collaboration we found in this period.”
McLaren occupied the front row at the most recent race at Monza, when Norris started first ahead of Piastri. The two drivers raced against each other at the start of the first lap and Piastri snuck into first place. Piastri then finished second behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on a one-stop strategy and Norris was third.
Earlier this season, Piastri took his first win at the Hungarian Grand Prix, when McLaren asked Norris to replace him. The Australian had led for much of the race, but Norris’ pit stop strategy allowed him to inherit the lead in the final round of pit stops. McLaren required Norris to stop to make way for Piastri, and he did so in the closing laps.
If McLaren had let Norris through in Hungary, they would have 248 points and would be 55 points behind Verstappen. The total would be 52 if Piastri were asked to let Norris through at Monza as well.
Team orders are a harsh reality in Formula 1, though they are not fun to watch unless you are a fan of the driver who benefits from them. But this move is the right strategic choice for McLaren at the moment.
Norris is catching up to Verstappen in the standings and needs all the help he can get. Verstappen has not won since June 23 in Spain and is in the midst of a six-race winless drought. Norris has not finished lower than fifth in the last five races and has taken four podiums in that span.
Since finishing last in Austria on June 30, Norris has taken 19 points off Verstappen, a figure that will make the title race far from a formality but which also does not give Norris much chance of winning the title.
By contrast, McLaren are the clear favourites to win the constructors’ title. With Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez struggling for most of the season and Piastri keeping pace with Norris, McLaren are just eight points behind Red Bull in the constructors’ title race. It is entirely possible – and even likely – that McLaren will emerge from Sunday’s race in Baku with the lead in the constructors’ standings.