McLaren got a kicking from several Formula 1 broadcasters last weekend for failing to impose team orders on their drivers at Monza.
For the second time in four rounds Lando Norris, who is the closest driver to points leader Max Verstappen, finished immediately behind his team mate on the road. Had McLaren swapped their cars around in those two races, Norris’ deficit would now be 52 points instead of 62.Even presenters on the official F1 channel poured scorn on McLaren, insisting they were not being “smart” by refusing to tell Oscar Piastri to let Norris by. But one should always be prepared to allow for the possibility that the competitors are at least as smart as you are. And almost invariably better informed.
The logic of why McLaren should have swapped their drivers around is simple. After all, no one believes Red Bull would allow Sergio Perez to take points off Verstappen.
Still, if Red Bull team principal Christian Horner wanted a stronger rival to Verstappen in their second car he wouldn’t have handed Perez a new contract earlier this year. When Horner dispelled suggestions (partly inspired by his own comments) that Perez could be replaced during the summer break, Horner sent a clear message that Red Bull will sacrifice the constructors’ championship before they risk Verstappen’s crown.
So while Verstappen has led Perez for 97% of laps this year, Norris’ advantage over Piastri is just 69%. This is much closer to that seen at other front running teams: Russell has led Hamilton on 64% laps, Leclerc has led Sainz for 63%.
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Norris’ superiority over Piastri is nothing like as total as Verstappen’s over Piastri. This matters because once McLaren tell Piastri he is their ‘number two’ they will have crossed the Rubicon. Tell him to let Norris past once, and failing to do again over the rest of the season would become an obvious failure of leadership.
The question then becomes how many times might McLaren have to move Piastri out of the way? And might they end up doing it so frequently they start to look like they’ve backed the wrong horse?
There are 11 races still to come (including sprint events). Piastri has beaten Norris in half of the last four races and he is improving all the time. Piastri also out-qualified Norris in half of the final 10 races last year.
Norris may only be 62 points behind Verstappen, but Piastri is just 44 behind Norris. If McLaren start imposing team orders the way some are telling them to, they may find their intervention fails to tip the balance in the championship fight – but does ensure Norris beats Piastri. ‘He only beat me because you kept telling me to let him past’ is obviously not something the team wants to hear.
Left to their own devices, it’s entirely possible Piastri could out-score Norris by the end of the season:
| Position | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 303 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | 241 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | 217 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | 197 |
| Points available: 232 | ||
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Contrast that with, for example, the state of play between the Mercedes team mates at the 2018 Russian Grand Prix, when Valtteri Bottas was told to give up victory to Lewis Hamilton:
| Position | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | 281 |
| 2 | Sebastian Vettel | 241 |
| 3 | Kimi Raikkonen | 174 |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | 171 |
| Points available: 156 | ||
The situation would be a no-brainer if Norris’ championship credentials were stronger. The fact they aren’t is largely down to him.
Before the summer break Norris said he hadn’t done enough to earn ‘number one’ status. He was right then and it’s still the case.
There is a paradox to the argument that McLaren should impose orders on their drivers because Norris could pick up many more points that way: The fact he has so much to gain shows he isn’t ahead of Piastri regularly enough to begin with. The infamous examples of team orders on occasions like Austria 2002 and Germany 2010 stood out because they were so rare, not because they happened every other weekend.
Piastri is only in his second season of F1 and logically should be further from his ultimate potential than Norris is in his sixth year. How quickly Piastri might reach that potential no one knows. But McLaren are better placed to judge than anyone – particularly pundits whose only stake in this is seeing someone take the championship fight to Verstappen.
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2024 Italian Grand Prix
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- “Can I have my PU performance back?” – Verstappen’s “tough” Monza race on his radio
bosyber (@bosyber)
2nd September 2024, 17:14
I quite agree with what the article says. Still, it remains true that Norris is McLaren’s only chance this season to win the WDC, which they last managed in 2008 (one might even argue that their inter-team rivalry then also scuppered their last chance to fight for it for 10 years), and there’s no guarantee that they’ll have an opportunity next season(s), so there’s little sense in not trying for it, which means having Piastri support the team in reaching both championships.
Last race one might say he helped Leclerc get through and lose their 1-2 at the end of the 1st lap, which could have helped them control the race and get the lead in their other goal. Can’t have that sort of stuff happen I’d say. If Piastry is instrumental in winning Norris’ championship, it only strenghtens his own position with them.
bosyber (@bosyber)
2nd September 2024, 17:15
intra-team, gah
Greg McGrahan
4th September 2024, 6:33
You don’t honestly believe the “inter – intra” error is the only thing wrong with your comment do you?
🤣🤣🤣 jk, it was nicely written.
The fact that I agree with you has nothing to do with it.
What do I think?
Why, thank you for asking.
I’m going to cop out and say I’m on the fence.
And that’s because, as you said, this might be the closest McLaren get to having a shot at the drivers and/or constructors championship(s).
HOWEVER.
Oscar shouldn’t even be this close to Lando, and he wouldn’t be if Norris could figure out how not to consistently throw away the advantage that pole position, is supposed to, give(s) you, especially in the first corner/lap.
Plus, both he and the team have cost themselves a few wins and points with some of the poor in race decisions, and strategic confusion, they’ve made.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:33
I’m sure Webber, based on his own career experience, is doing everything to ensure Piastri resists that role because it’s very easy for that “temporary” wingman role to become an unspoken permanent role, especially since Lando already has a raw pace advantage.
Richard Vivian
3rd September 2024, 3:34
It may also be in his contract that he is not the no2 driver
Robert
3rd September 2024, 4:10
That would be my theory too. I think McLaren can’t tell either of their drivers to let the other pass, without breaching contracts. They worked their way to the front quicker than they expected as a team, thus suddenly finding themselves in this predicament.
MacLeod (@macleod)
3rd September 2024, 7:51
Yes those rumours are getting harder and Webber would put this in Oscar contract he never has to be a number 2 (he still can do that on his own will offcourse).
So McLaren can’t ask Oscar to be Lando’s number 2 even if it’s cost Lando drivers championship.
Maybe Oscar want to win the driverschampionship himself (which will be very hard todo)
GeeMac (@geemac)
3rd September 2024, 5:10
The simple reason is because the one everyone on the internet wants to beat Max (i.e. Lando) keeps (a) getting beaten by the one everyone on the internet wants to be a doormat, or (b) making mistakes and costing himself points.
GechiChan (@gechichan)
3rd September 2024, 10:25
I know he made some of those in past races, but what was Lando’s mistake at Monza? Not forcing Piastri wide by braking later and risking a crash from the lead?
Matn (@matn)
3rd September 2024, 8:17
McLaren of today remind me of Ferrari 2019 and 2022, a great car, but two drivers taking points off each other and lack of focus on strategies. Both Ferrari and McLaren showed us winning a WDC takes more than just driving a car fast.
Norris is (to) emotional and to nice on track, both in his driving as his attitude towards the team, if you want to win you can’t be the team player all the time. On the other hand we have an ice cold Piastri who’s good, but still lack’s consistency, he should play the team role for McLaren at this stage of his career and position in the standings, but decides to race for personal glory.
Until now we haven’t seen any of the team, really, really happy, not even when they won. Zandvoort was a good one, but Norris (again) losing position at the start is something he’s not at ease with. I can see no one at McLaren being really happy at the end of the season, knowing they let the WDC slip away. Imo it’s lacking the balls to put a foot down, meanwhile Brown is quite vocal towards the media about other teams, he should focus on both the WCC AND WDC.
Steven Coen
3rd September 2024, 8:29
The point was Norris was on pole so properly managed there would have been no need to swop drivers. Piastri is not a team player and was able to pass because Norris quite rightly not expecting such a selfish move that actually gave the win to Ferrari.
Mayrton
4th September 2024, 10:39
I agree Piastri clearly demonstrated (as before with Alpine) to really not being a team player whatsoever. It is his choice, I am not here to judge. It is a clear he will not show loyalty, nor help anyone out. He personally and individually took away a 1-2 for McLaren.
Mayrton
4th September 2024, 10:34
I completely disagree with the view this article has on the situation. McLaren should always let Lando finish ahead of Piastri when the cars are following each other in a race. It doesn’t even deserve a second thought. It’s neutral to the team points and as stated it is only Piastri’s 2nd season in which we now only have half a season to go. How hard is this ‘sacrifice’ that is being asked from him. He didn’t have the race pace most of the time vs Lando anyway. He can have a swing in 2025.
They already failed big time twice now. The only winner in this whole situation is Max Verstappen, which might be fine for those cheering him on, but overall as audience we lose out and McLaren establishes themselves as a team lacking the winner mentality needed. I am afraid it has already dragged on too long to make anything of it and they should take a good hard look inside and learn from it for coming seasons.
Todfod (@todfod)
2nd September 2024, 17:24
Maybe McLaren doesn’t truly believe that they are WDC contenders this season. So why disrupt Oscars relationship with the team?
It might be an unpopular opinion but I don’t think Norris is WDC material quite yet. His race craft is nowhere as good as a Max, Lewis, Fernando or Charles. I would go as far as saying that Oscar is a superior wheel to wheel racer than Lando.
Other teams would have prioritised one driver over the other to take a shot at an unlikely WDC, but McLaren is taking the longer term view of keeping two drivers motivated for when they have a more realistic shot. Whether they’ll have a car this good again remains to be seen though
bosyber (@bosyber)
2nd September 2024, 17:34
Yeah, it might well be that in the longer term Piastri is the better bet @todfod, still, not going for an opportunity when it presents itself seems short sighted too. Tell Piastri they trust him, but that this season Norris had the better/luckier start, which is true.
If Piastri can’t pace himself and work for the team in a season when he himself is not in the running for the WDC, how ugly is that going to be if they do manage to keep their pace advantage next season(s)!? Rosberg/Hamilton but w/o Lauda to bring them to heel? Great specactle surely, but bad for the team.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
2nd September 2024, 21:05
Yes, this is a good point, you need to take opportunities and this might be their last chance in decades, remember: no driver’s title for mclaren in 16 years now and constructor’s title in 26 years!
They could’ve told piastri the way you said.
David BR (@david-br)
2nd September 2024, 17:48
@todfod On current form they clearly have a chance of one driver catching Verstappen towards the end of the season, but probably not both. I agree that Norris has been poor and has himself to blame for not being closer to Verstappen. But I also feel that Piastri’s pass on the first lap compromised Norris’s race and the team’s overall points haul. He’s also not that good over a race distance (or Norris is generally better). So it’s complicated, sure. But this is a chance for a world drivers’ championship and possibly will be viewed in retrospect as their best for over a decade. I don’t think they should be swapping the drivers round but I do think they should be telling Piastri to stay in P2 on lap one if Norris gets away cleanly, precisely to avoid compromising his race more than losing one place. Piastri exploited the fact he has less to lose than Norris if they collide. They were also racing each other rather than tyre nursing during the race, which meant they had to pit a second time unlike Leclerc. I feel that at Mercedes or Red Bull or Ferrari, they’d be more sharply focused and better disciplined. Undoubtedly this issue will return over the coming races, so we’ll see how it’s resolved by the team, or left to be resolved between the drivers, I guess.
Stoo
3rd September 2024, 19:51
I actually think that Norris was doing his “get into free air & manage the tyres” space when Piastri showed his true colours to ambush his team-mate. This did compromise LN’s race and he had to up his pace or get left too far behind, which ended up ruining their original strategy of keeping the tyres good for far longer.
As for Piastri having less to lose than Lando, that’s absolutely true, and he shows no loyalty to anyone except maybe Weber (who’s been pulling strings in the background for some time now).
Sooner or later McLaren will realise he has no loyalty to the team and only to himself, and they will only have themselves to blame.
When Lando was asked/ordered to let Piastri catch up and give him the win, nobody gave a damn about how far back he was, but one trip into a bit of gravel, and Zac was persuaded to leave Norris where he was, claiming that he was about to order Piastri to drop back, when LN was only a few seconds behind and keeping pace.
Not much loyalty to the driver who stayed with the team when the car was C_p was there Zac.
Future drivers to your team will remember what your management style is, so suck up the criticism, you deserve all you’ll get.
I’ve already written about this, but MCL’s treatment of Norris has made me Unsubscribe from every facet of their team, which I have supported since 1968 and I doubt whether I’ll ever support them again ………. I will however continue to follow and support Lando’s efforts in F1, I hope he does win a WDC and kicks MCL into the dust on his way out.
Mayrton
4th September 2024, 10:43
I think the latter. They will continue on the course they are at. It doesn’t make sense anymore to change it anyways after having thrown away two chances already. I am afraid the season is over.
Konstantinos
2nd September 2024, 17:49
I agree that the idea that pundits know better than the team itself is usually ridiculous and the idea of not wanting to disrupt relationships and keep both drivers happy makes sense.
The only argument that I would offer against what they allowed to happen in yesterday’s GP is that they already asked Lando to give away a win, wouldn’t he be right to be rethinking his decision now? The argument on the team radio at the time was that he will need Piastri to be on his side at a later date, does this still apply after what we saw yesterday?
Konstantinos
2nd September 2024, 17:50
oops, accidental reply. Sorry!
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
2nd September 2024, 19:01
A very good point I think.
Stoo
3rd September 2024, 19:54
+1 mate, my thoughts entirely – he’ll reap what he sows !
Mayrton
4th September 2024, 10:46
Not so sure about that in this situation or due to the fact some pundits have been around way longer than Brown or Stella. But moreover, as you already stated, we know they made the wrong calls given they have not managed their relationship with Lando. Not at all. Only their competitiveness will keep him at the team, but I am sure he wouldn’t mind leaving them at any time now. He has been let down by them, he clearly shows it in his posture and we all know it.
Doh
2nd September 2024, 18:52
Pretty much agree. Case in point when he got passed on lap 1. Perhaps he could have been harder in defence. All he needs was to run off the brakes a little more.
I’m starting to believe leclerc might have a chance at the title. It’s wishful thinking but I’d have more belief in him making a successful challenge than Norris.
In terms of points scoring positions leclerc has been more consistent than Norris this season. Just had those three races where it was al a mess which has left him a couple dozen off Norris
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:19
Neither are WDC material in terms of being able to win a WDC in a car that doesn’t have a clear performance advantage of a driver like Max. Norris has great speed, but you never know if he’ll actually deliver. Meanwhile, Oscar doesn’t and likely will never have the raw pace of Lando, but if he can learn to manage his tires better, he seems to have more mental fortitude. In that way, they’re a bit like Leclerc and Sainz. All four of whom have shown they’re not at the level of a Max, Lewis or Alonso.
Finally, while I think it was really silly of McLaren not to reverse their positions when Oscar was only going to be getting a 2nd place, the odds of Lando being able to win the WDC are remote enough that I don’t fault McLaren at all for not putting in place a policy that Oscar can’t pass Lando. It’s Lando’s fault for being a veteran driver yet still having blown so many races that he’s not closer in which case the team would be employing team orders.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:20
advantage over a driver like Max*
Richard Vivian
3rd September 2024, 3:41
Piastri is very close to Norris on race pace and sometimes he’s quicker.
We’ll see. Piastri has better race craft, better starter and is cool under pressure. He’s a proper racer.
Norris has good fast lap skills and manages his tyres well but it doesn’t make up for his other deficiencies
Nick T.
3rd September 2024, 5:59
That’s basically how I described the comparison. The only place I differed is in terms of raw pace. Norris is significantly quicker in qualifying and Piastri only seems to occasionally be able to live with Lando’s race pace without cooking his tires. I like Oscar a lot more in terms of personality. So, I hope he proves me wrong and improves his raw pace.
DavidS (@davids)
3rd September 2024, 2:49
I agree with this.
Norris hasn’t developed the mental fortitude to be World Champion yet, and McLaren know this. He still gets flustered when things don’t go his way. He’s not ready this year.
McLaren aren’t going to risk complicating their driver relationship if they aren’t 100% sure he can deliver. Particularly since Piastri is showing better early career form than Norris did at the same point.
Mayrton
4th September 2024, 10:49
But they already did. They burned Lando.
Talby (@maichael)
2nd September 2024, 17:39
One the one hand, it seems baffling that a team wouldn’t do everything it can to clinch both championships; even frustrating, with the reigning champion having gone unchallenged in the past two and a half years.
But what McLaren are doing is absolutely in the spirit of motor racing. Much is made of drivers having to beat their own team mate. And when team orders are imposed in favor of one driver, the spectacle turns into something of a farce.
It’s a shame a team is being criticized for going racing. McLaren are doing right by the sport.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
2nd September 2024, 17:54
@maichael
Are they really doing well by the sport? Lando has not really defended at all against Oscar so is it really racing or is it Land trying to avoid contact with his teammate and losing his bid to the championship? Who has more to lose?
You could also make the same argument that McLaren and Oscar are both being pr*cks to Lando and it would hold as much muster.
gDog (@gdog)
2nd September 2024, 19:04
That was pretty much my view.
But… from Piastri’s point of view he did absolutely the right thing.
For me this is all on McLaren. They should’ve backed Lando for this season already. A few races ago Lando had an outside mathematical chance. Oscar was significantly further behind, still in with a mathematically possible chance but completely unrealistic. Now, things have changed, no-one was predicting the sudden drop off in Red Bull performance, so now it’s harder to make the call because Oscar’s chances don’t seem quite so unrealistic. Things could easily change again though, maybe this is just a blip for Red Bull, or even just Max – Perez finished pretty much in the same spot as usual.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:22
Oh, poor Lando, it’s not him getting passed! It’s him avoiding contact! Thanks for the chuckle.
Talby (@maichael)
3rd September 2024, 17:30
If you put it that way, then there’s no perfect scenario. One driver is always likely to have such an advantage over the other. Does that mean team mates should never race each other?
Even so, Piastri doesn’t have anything to gain by making contact with his team mate.
And again, team mates racing each other rather than letting each other by is in the spirit of racing. It’s unfortunate for Norris, but doesn’t mean his team hates him.
IMO a championship has to be earned.
Mayrton
4th September 2024, 10:52
No they are not. They undermine the spirit of the sport by not challenging for the title. Moreover they insult me as spectator. All because of politics and probably contractual obligations which they should have thought through more thoroughly.
Talby (@maichael)
4th September 2024, 12:51
Racing isn’t political, until someone decides not to race (i.e. team orders).
That said, I don’t think F1 teams should live for my satisfaction.
Norris could have won in Monza had he done a better job. It was in his hands.
An Sionnach
2nd September 2024, 17:40
I think it’s simpler than this. They don’t want to lose Oscar. It would be better if they only have one lead driver, but they don’t. If they maintain their superiority next year, the two of them could run away with the championship and still give us a contest. If it’s tighter, it’s more difficult to see where it will go. In this kind of situation I suspect the only way out is through and that it will end with one of the drivers walking away, like it did for Piquet at Williams or Prost at McLaren. If this happens, at least I can’t see the driver that leaves feeling terribly aggrieved with the team. McLaren has tried to give both drivers some form of fairness, in spite of a little bumbling.
All that said… it’s hard to understand why a team would ever choose to not win the drivers’ championship!
Mayrton
4th September 2024, 10:56
It is just that I do not see how all of this fairness stuff goes for Lando. He hasn’t been supported by the team at all. Personally, I would leave them based on this season. They clearly undermine him and favour Piastri. It puts Hungary is perspective as they never wanted Norris to win to begin with.
Edvaldo
2nd September 2024, 17:44
Norris shouldn’t even need team orders.
He’s faster, more experienced, and now drives the fastest car. What more does he need?
Max is Red Bull’s absolute number one, but it’s not like he depends on Perez to do anything for him other than giving him a tow. It should be the same for Norris, yet he finds himself behind Piastri frequently, despite being the faster driver and the closest driver to challenge Max. He has to fulfill his part of the deal too, instead of being handed positions every time.
debaser91
2nd September 2024, 19:03
It’s not really the same though is it, because Piastri is a damn sight better than Perez. Put it this way, if it were Piastri in the other Red Bull, Verstappen wouldn’t have spent 97% of the time ahead of him.
Edvaldo
2nd September 2024, 19:19
It isn’t, and that’s why Red Bull always puts a lesser driver on the other car. To avoid this kind of dilemma.
But if Norris can’t regularly beat Piastri, and can’t even win two races in a row with that car, he doesn’t deserve number 1 status.
He’ll probably get it, not because he earned it, but because with Red Bull falling apart like that, it is an opportunity too good for them not to take it.
MichaelN
2nd September 2024, 20:19
He can, that’s why he has a lot more points.
McLaren now risks a dynamic in which their two drivers can fight for wins, but one is cautious because he feels he has a genuine chance to fight for the title, and the other is exploiting that and messing up what should have been an easy 1-2. This is a badly mismanaged situation, no matter what Brown says about McLaren’s philosophy blabla.
Mooa42
2nd September 2024, 21:56
You could argue Norris has more points because early in the season he was first to receive upgrades, 3 times by my counting. Piastri was also hard done by with a grid drop for blocking kmag, which was no fault of his own, caught the wrong side of a safety car in Miami, bad team strategy at Silverstone and his grid drop for not running off the track but over a white line.
I think McLaren knows that despite the points gap these drivers are currently fairly evenly matched and one potentially at their highest level and one still ascending.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:31
Yup. That’s a small factor, but much bigger factors are a) Piastri has had some generally bad luck, but b) Lando also has more points because he is clearly faster and gentler on his tires. However, because he chokes so often, he hasn’t gotten enough points to be close enough to Max to make it a clear and easy choice to institute team orders. You can’t just institute team orders any time a driver has a mathematical chance of winning, unless the other driver is a Perez or Bottas type driver who is nowhere near the other and whom you’re not concerned about keeping for the long term.
Ben
2nd September 2024, 17:45
I think the simple answer is because Lando can’t win the WDC. He’s just not at that level. It’s clear the team and Piastri know it, so why should they make sacrifices for Norris?
Piastri played Monza perfectly to ensure he doesn’t slip into the number 2 role for the rest of the season. He could have backed off and gave Lando 3 extra points but I’m glad he didn’t as he’s set out his intentions.
McLaren know Piastri is their best hope next year and gifting Lando a championship this year is the last thing Piastri wants for next year too.
I see a lot of frustration at McLaren for not backing Lando to challenge Max. I thought this way too before Monza but there’s just no way Lando deserves it this year. I’d like to see a championship battle and think we all would! But Lando just isn’t it.
David BR (@david-br)
2nd September 2024, 17:54
Right now I’m not that convinced by either driver. I don’t see Norris suddenly (or perhaps ever) learning how to race aggressively at the level of Verstappen, Hamilton, Leclerc, Alonso or even Russell, he seems to lack a racer’s instinct for the right line, when and how to defend, but neither has Piastri shown consistent pace.
George (@george)
2nd September 2024, 18:19
@david-br
Well that didn’t stop Vettel winning 4 championships. I think it’s a little harsh to say he’s a worse racer than Russell or Leclerc too, neither of them have exactly stellar resumes. Piastri’s inconsistent pace is more of a concern to me, although he does seem to have less off-weeks recently.
David BR (@david-br)
2nd September 2024, 19:32
Leclerc v. Verstappen (early 2022 say) seemed pretty even to me, also Leclerc is excellent in defence and certainly starts races better. Russell is an aggressive racer, though perhaps sometimes less precise than he needs to be. Norris should be better given his pre-F1 history, I keep waiting for him to wake up and realize he has to be more assertive.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
2nd September 2024, 21:09
Agree, leclerc started 2022 pretty well, I think when both have a strong car leclerc is better than norris.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:37
Vettel had a much bigger car advantage. I’m sure what Ben means is that Lando isn’t the type of driver that can win a WDC in a car that doesn’t have a clear pace advantage from day 1 over drivers like Max, Lewis or Alonso. Same goes for Leclerc and Russell IMO (I.E., they need a car advantage).
Mayrton
4th September 2024, 11:00
Yeah, agreed. Lando is a Vettel. If the car has an advantage all is well. If wheel to wheel is needed it’s a completely different story.
gDog (@gdog)
2nd September 2024, 18:49
I don’t think Lando will be caught by surprise, or be as accommodating again.
I agree that I don’t think he’ll ever be as aggressive as Max or Lewis, but I don’t think that’s a necessity to win a WDC*. You probably won’t be a 7, or 4, or 3 time champion, but I’d be happy with being a one time champion 😂
* unless they’re your teammate (Nico Rosberg)
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:40
Frankly, Lewis was never super aggressive. Neither was Alonso. They are (maybe were at this age) just 100x times more consistent and they did have the killer instinct. The killer instinct doesn’t mean you’re super aggressive though. I’d call it more of a closer instinct. Not letting opportunities slip away.
An Sionnach
2nd September 2024, 23:45
Lando’s doing what he needs to do. If Max is struggling to get fifth place for the rest of the season then Lando has to be sure to finish. Oscar can be a knucklehead and take advantage of the situation; Lando just needs to finish and score as many points as possible. He should finish no lower than second, though.If Lando takes half the remaining wins, finishes second in the others and Max averages fifth position, there’ll be clean air between them by the end of the season without even counting the sprint points or fastest laps.
Mayrton
4th September 2024, 11:03
I agree Lando should (as he should already have started with in Hungary) never ever accommodate anything for McLaren. It is a hard lesson, but that’s why I was already emotional at the Hungary thing. You never ever give away a race win. Don’t think for a second this is a team sport. Yes, the team is your side of the garage, but that is as far as it goes. Always disobey team orders. Take no prisoners. Go for the win. Or…. go waste someone else’s time in a different race category.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
2nd September 2024, 17:51
Well, Oscar knows full well that Lando will not tangle with him as that will essentially end his bid for the WDC but doing so will allow Lando to taken Oscar on track as opposed to yielding.
Ironically, Oscar is now Lando’s biggest obstacle and Red Bull’s biggest hope. At some point, I have no doubt that Lando will stand his ground and that could lead to a retirement of one or both cars and that could continue into multiple races.
At this point, Lando has to hold his ground and put an end to the advantageous passes from Oscar which also lead to multiple overtakes. If it means that both McLarens need to retire – that’s fine. Oscar can then explain why he chose to collide.
Doh
2nd September 2024, 18:57
Last time lando held his ground it went very wrong for him at Austria so I wonder if that’s on his mind. It’s a shame though as it easily could have been the other way around. Instead max benefited from being clumsy.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:43
I firmly believe that was a very different case. He had to show Max that he wouldn’t just always back off if Max kept moving under braking / closing the door way too late. However, Lando has shown himself lacking in the race craft department. You’d never see Alonso or Max allowing a teammate to be in the position to pull these type of moves off on them.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
2nd September 2024, 23:15
I remember Lando being very good when Lewis was behind him in 2021 at Monza and I believe Spa.
I’m going to speculate here but it seems that Lando’s target seems to always be other teams’ cars. He is not expecting it from Oscar as much. We’ve seen him play the team game at Monza where he was asked to hold position for the 1-2.
Nick T.
3rd September 2024, 6:02
The latter is a good point and well be true, but in terms of 2021, he was operating under little pressure with minimal expectations and not being expected to fight for a WDC (by the internet anyway) and get his opening laps in order.
West David
2nd September 2024, 18:01
Norris is around 2/1 for the title, Piastri is 100/1
McLaren obviously don’t care about the WDC just the WCC
Doh
2nd September 2024, 18:58
Silly but if they not careful they may lose the WCC to Ferrari and I wouldn’t be surprised if leclerc finishes ahead of Norris in the title. Of course that does depend on consistency and some improvement of the Ferrari though.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:44
2:1? Where did you pull that out of? If that is a real line you’d have to be an utter fool to put $ down w/those odds. However, one is born everyday as they say.
black (@black)
2nd September 2024, 18:04
While it seems Norris is not 100% ready for his first ever run at a WDC – he makes many mistakes here and there (Austria’s botched overtake, bad judgement at Silverstone, numerous bad starts this year, Belgium lap 1 trip in the gravel trap… even in Monza he hit the pit stop bollard) – he still is mathematically the most likely one to challenge Verstappen.
And even for him, being 62pts behond Verstappen while having the best car at the moment, seems like a hard enough challenge… Piastri, even if we consider he’s driving better at the moment, being 106pts behind seems almost impossible.
This whole thing seems like McLaren want to maintain the ‘high moral ground’ of not giving team orders just for the sake of it. Austria 2002 happened in May!, Germany 2010 happened in July!, both occasions it was waaay early and the outrage was justified… It is September now for crying out loud, if McLaren want to wait until Piastri is mathematically out of the question to consider team orders, then it would be at las Vegas at the end of November which is ridiculous.
I agreed with McLaren’s decision in Hungary – it was earlier this season and it was Piastri’s first win – but they clearly should have set an intra team rule “whoever is leading the championship by summer break/August 31st/ X date and has a realistic chance of fighting for it, then and only then, we’re going to set No1-No2 status for the rest of the season, next season it’s back to papaya rules”.
Doh
2nd September 2024, 19:00
Can’t fault him for Austria really. It just so happened that he also got a puncture and that the type of puncture he got was worse than Max’s.
That amount of chance also could have given Norris a 35 point swing in the title. Verstappen just got very lucky that day but I think it may have also dented Norris a little in his confidence
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:45
You literally faulted him two posts above for that.
David BR (@david-br)
2nd September 2024, 18:16
McLaren: Oscar, mathematically only Lando has a realistic chance of winning the drivers’ championship, how do you feel about doing everything possible for him to win it this year?
Oscar reply 1: Nah, I’ll just do my own thing, thanks for asking.
Oscar reply 2: Sure, what do you need me to do?
Piastri could make it abundantly clear he was driving to boost Norris’s points tally and nobody would think less of him as a driver – the opposite, it would be impressive. Did anyone think any less of Kimi Raikkonen for pulling over to let Felipe Massa past in China 2008 for those extra points in Massa’s title bid? Sure, it’s not so late in the season. But McLaren could be quite open about what they intended to do. For whatever reason, this season has been quite exceptional in the collapse of the lead team, meaning what looked like an easy sweep to the championship for Max/Red Bull became a potential fight when nobody was expecting it. I don’t see McLaren adjusting to that fact and coordinating the efforts of their drivers towards the aim of the WDC as problematic at all.
slowmo (@slowmo)
2nd September 2024, 18:25
I wouldn’t consider it a fight until the gap is within a race win.
David BR (@david-br)
2nd September 2024, 19:34
@slowmo Okay Zak :)
I just think they’ll realize the title is within reach a fraction too late and this indecisiveness (and lost points) will cost them. But their call to make.
slowmo (@slowmo)
2nd September 2024, 23:48
I just don’t believe Red Bull can continue being this bad for the rest of the year.
dot_com (@dot_com)
2nd September 2024, 18:48
I just don’t realistically think that Lando has a chance at winning the WDC this year – it would take a series of shocking results for Max, coupled with some dominant wins for Norris, and I really don’t think that will happen. McLaren seem more focused on not rocking the boat, and taking their first WCC in a long time. That in itself would be a huge result for the team and wouldn’t jeopardize the inter-team relationship.
David
2nd September 2024, 19:06
Is Schumacher, Alonso or Verstappen benefit from team orders, then it is a crime against the sport.
If Hamilton or Norris benefit from them, then it is common sense.
See the theme?
McLaren want to go racing, and they want their drivers to keep racing. They should be congratulated for that.
MarkWebber (@markwebber)
2nd September 2024, 20:55
I always want to see racing, but at the same timeI feel like this team fight this time around is preventing us from seeing a potential championship battle. Although it is Norris who has gotten himself into this situation, I don’t blame McLaren.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:47
I’d put dollars to dimes that it’s your former favorite driver who is fighting to ensure Oscar doesn’t allow the team to put him in a supporting role.
Mooa42
3rd September 2024, 1:04
I’m guessing it’s also your former favorite driver who has taken over coaching Lando’s start procedure :)
but I agree, not McLarens fault, Lando isn’t dominant and I’m sure he’d hate to win the WDC if Oscar had to let him past in half the races, that would be plain embarrassing.
Nick T.
3rd September 2024, 6:05
haha, poor Webber. Launches were literally his kryptonite. It was definitely an area he lacked a natural feel for and which became compounded by the mental aspect which made his starts get worse and worse.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
2nd September 2024, 19:13
We can never know what internal rules McLaren have re their drivers. Maybe there has always been an understanding in the team or between the drivers that there will never be any team orders. No one will know the answer except within the team.
Maybe they think Lando beating Max is really a long shot so they do not wish to commit to team orders at this stage and risk upsetting relationships. Maybe they will if the gap continues to close. I think there will be a lot of external pressure on the team to do so.
Realistically, only Lando can be WDC. If they get to the end of the season and he misses out by only single figures or there abouts e.g. 10/15, they are going to look pretty silly if they never decide to make Lando their priority.
t1redmonkey (@t1redmonkey)
2nd September 2024, 19:17
While I think Piastri probably does have a higher ‘ceiling’ than Lando in terms of how fast they’ll ultimately end up once they reach their peaks, McLaren should’ve recognised the possibility of Lando having a chance at the 2024 WDC pre-Hungary, and advised their drivers accordingly so there was no ambiguity during the actual races.
I feel like the only reason they may not be telling Oscar to move aside for Lando is because Oscar got something added to his contract when he signed with McLaren around how he’d be treated in terms of team status, and Zak Brown went along with it since he was so desperate to get Piastri at the time. Mark Webber’s probably hammered it into Oscar’s head to never accept any orders that might give the impression Oscar’s a submissive number 2 driver, or that might set the tone for the rest of his career.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:49
A driver doesn’t get faster. They just get more consistent. So, I’d put any amount of $ down that Oscar will never have the edge on Lando in the quali battle. However, I think Oscar will be a more consistent driver than Lando and much less prone to choking.
FlyingLap (@flyinglapp)
2nd September 2024, 19:18
Norris is within catching distance of Verstappen, and Piastri isn’t. McLaren should give Norris every bit of help to do it in the next 3 to 4 races, including first dibs on pit stops and team orders. If he starts to reel Max in, then support Lando all the way. If he doesn’t then let Lando and Oscar fight it out on track.
JeroenJ
2nd September 2024, 19:23
What is the goal of an F1 team? Apparently it is not rocking the boat too much for one of their drivers on the off chance he might be a WDC candidate next season…
Instead of 100% supporting the driver that has a reasonable chance of winning the WDC this season.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:50
Define reasonable. Because if Lando actually closed the gap based, especially given his history, it might be the greatest come back in F1 history.
Stephen Taylor
2nd September 2024, 19:34
Firstly the timing of this article is interesting Keith because your analysis of what has happened is factually correct . One should also consider that McLaren’s relectance to employ team orders is nonbody could have forseen a few months ago the drastic drop off iin performance RBR have had in recent races. Keith is the analysis of the article you have done here based on what has happened to this point? Have you had inside that McLaren word from the team this will not be changing . This is contradicts the reports from others that McLaren is actively considering team orders from Baku onwards:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/articles/cvg3z3zxgq4o
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mclaren-hints-it-is-ready-to-support-norris-in-f1-title-bid/10650496/
If team orders were to be imposed on this year do you think Keith that they could compromise agreement whereby if Piastri does Norris a few favours then a Piastri championship will get full priority the year after kind of like the agreement Toto tried to impose on Rosberg for 2017 before his snap retirement after 2016 made that a moot point . With the benefit of hindsight the time to impose team orders was before Austria whilst Norris was more than 60 points ahead of Piastri who didn’t really have good start to the season.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:52
I think it’s safe to say the team hasn’t shared a word with Keith (or likely anybody else) about how they’re going to handle team orders within 24 hours of yesterday’s drama…
Neil (@neilosjames)
2nd September 2024, 20:04
Having a No.1 for whom the other driver moves out of the way is very unusual in F1. Especially at this stage in a season, when the two drivers are closer to each other in the points table than either is to the championship leader, and even more so when the two drivers appear to be evenly matched at the moment.
That, and there’s a reasonable probability that the driver they’d be asking to move aside is going to be better long-term than the driver they’d be asking him to move aside for, and shoving Piastri into a ‘drive for your team-mate’ role isn’t likely to help his development or appreciation of the team.
Oh, and having two drivers fully motivated to race for themselves appears to be quite helpful in the constructors’ championship.
Schumacher, Alonso, Verstappen, Hamilton (all to some degree, at some point) seem to have normalised the idea of a clear 1-2 split, but they earned it by being clearly better than their team-mate. If it’s closer to 50/50 and Norris would need Piastri to move aside in half the races, he hasn’t earned No.1 status and shouldn’t be given it with seven races to go.
Stephen Taylor
2nd September 2024, 21:55
To be honest Mr Collantine has enjoyed piling on Lando most of the articles since he has written since Austria and most of the points deficit reduction since Austria was due to Max taking Lando out. I think the points Lando lost in Austria have skwed Keith’s opinion of Norris Norris has been clearly better by a small margin but I don’t think anyone can argue . Norris is making smmallThe assertion is nonsense and 44 points whilst not an insurmountable gap is very hard to make up . People are acting as if Norris should be beating Piastri by the kind of margins he was beating Ricciardo by . To be leading an inexperienced but very highly rated team mate is not something that . I think one can cast easpertions like Keith that a driver in his 6th season should automatically wipe the the floor with a second year . Some drivers in the second year are better developed than others . We shoulsb’t being expecting Norris to be thrashing a driver of the of the cabre Piasti as Keith seems to think he should be. Keith has the right to reply to challenge my view of his articles but by saying Norris should be consistently beating Piastri is in my view incredibly I feel Keith is being disrespectful to both drivers even if he did not intend to be . Again I am happy for Keith to clarify the phrasing of the article.
Frank
3rd September 2024, 0:02
Well… In the 50s drivers even had to hand over their entire car to the nr 1 driver (and share rhe pounts) so you can hardly call it unusual.
What might be unusual is an enforced number two that is regularly faster than the nr 1.
MichaelN
2nd September 2024, 20:14
Norris hasn’t done a good enough job to be the clear #1. That’s true. But, Piastri has done even worse and is almost two race wins worth of points further back.
So, Norris is McLaren’s only real chance to win that title. It’s not going to be easy, and it might not work. But this is McLaren’s first real chance at a title win since 2012. It’d be their first win since 2008. This is not the time to play games, this is the time to go all in. Next year might see them struggle to get on the podium again. This is the moment.
roadrunner (@roadrunner)
2nd September 2024, 21:31
First of all they should alter their “papaya rules”. It’s detrimental to their races if their drivers battle hard on the first lap. Whoever wins the start stays in front for the opening laps. If the second driver is faster they can switch positions later when it’s safe.
I can see though why they are reluctant to favor Norris as they are still close together and evenly matched. It could be quite embarrassing and demotivating to ask Piastri to move over every second GP. On the other hand you do not fight for championships any given season. They just have to back the driver that has the best chances to win it, especially as they’ve pretty muched promised him the backing of his teammate in exchange for the win in Hungary.
Imre (@f1mre)
2nd September 2024, 21:54
As the legendary saying goes: It’s called a motor race.
Let them race. Teams usually let their teammates race. Why should McLaren do different? They’ve lost the race because of poor tactics, not beacuse of Piastris brilliant overtake.
roadrunner (@roadrunner)
2nd September 2024, 22:17
Don’t get me wrong, it was a brilliant move and I loved it. (Especially as a Ferrari fan).
But it didn’t help them and a teams that is fighting for its first championship in over 15 years must find a balance between the bigger picture and racing at that stage of the season.
Imre (@f1mre)
2nd September 2024, 21:52
It’s ridiculous how many are calling for team orders. And when team orders do happen, the same people are so judgemental and against it. Make your mind up.
They are racing each other. Team orders is not obligatory nor should it ever be encouraged.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 22:53
I couldn’t agree more.
David BR (@david-br)
3rd September 2024, 3:09
@f1mre Norris complied with a team order to return the place to Piastri in Hungary. So you think it was wrong to issue the instruction, wrong to insist on the instruction (with various kinds of threats) when Norris was reluctant to comply, or wrong for Norris to comply?
Imre (@f1mre)
3rd September 2024, 8:26
The team made him overtake Piastri during the pitstop. McLaren essentially made two team order decisions that day and the two canceled each other out. They should never have let Norris overtake Piastri in the pits in the first place.
The Hungary and Monza situations are not comparable.
David BR (@david-br)
3rd September 2024, 10:14
So you’re accepting that teams do issue orders/instructions that interfere with the race, that’s the point. I don’t think Norris handing the place ‘back’ to Piastri in Hungary was quite as normal as you’re portraying, it wouuld have looked bad even without the championship points at stake.
As for Monza, my view is that Piastri should have been instructed not to further hinder Norris by attempting to pass him on the first lap if he’s ahead at the first corner, especially since at Monza he was completely exploiting the fact Norris has more to lose if they collide, which struck me as quite cynical for a team mate, but do allow them to race if they’re fighting for the win and can pass without colliding (‘papaya rules’ or whatever). At this point I don’t think need to swap them round as McLaren finishing consistently 1-2 would be enough for Norris to close the gap to Verstappen rapidly. However, if the team were explicit about chasing Verstappen’s points lead to Norris and Piastri was onboard, I’d be fine with them swapping them round. What’s the issue? It’s for a WDC title and Red Bull already focus 100% on Verstappen from the start of the season.
David BR (@david-br)
3rd September 2024, 10:15
*but do allow them to race later into the GP if they’re assured 1-2
Mog
2nd September 2024, 22:02
Mclaren scored just about optimal points in Monza.
Piastri could have won except they didnt put him on the right strategy.
Norris could have won except he lost the lead, and in any case it wasnt a guarantee, esp given his bottle job tendency.
So they scored optimal points. The team wins from this. The wdc carries nil financial prize for the team or the driver. I dont see why team orders are needed tbh.
The media want to push Norris into the champion mould and market him. Hence this fuss and controversy. Piastri, as others have said here, is probably better in the longer term. And Norris has proven that he lacks championship mentality.
Bob
3rd September 2024, 1:21
they didnt put him on the right strategy becasue they was to busy fighting each other. If they was more focused on CL in hsi Ferrari, they would have done a one stopper too, becasue they would have aimed to keep track postion and just keep teh gap big enough to cover any under cuts…. The inter team battle cost them an easy 1 – 2
Richard
3rd September 2024, 3:22
Once Piastri got the lead and was showing good pace they should have used Norris as the no2 driver to cover off Ferrari and ensure the Piastri win.
Jon
2nd September 2024, 22:05
The only chance lando as if max as 1 or 2 dnf
Phil
2nd September 2024, 22:56
Press are making this into much more of a story than it should be. McLaren have decided they want two #1 drivers in the team, who have just started winning races. Imagine you’re Pastri and are asked to give up a race win to help Norris who only has a small chance of beating Max to drivers championship. I dunno taking away race wins at this point in either drivers career doesn’t seem right.
Nick T.
2nd September 2024, 23:09
+1
But they need the clicks and engagement for revenue. So, it’s their job to make too much out of everything that happens in F1.
Dane
3rd September 2024, 0:26
I don’t disagree with the article but if that’s not going to win McLaren the WDC. Nobody is talking about Leclerc fighting for the championship and he’s closer to Norris than Piastri. Why are we going to pretend Oscar has a chance? I get not wanting to embarrass the McLaren pit wall, but if that’s the plan then Max has already won.
Mooa42
3rd September 2024, 2:02
I don’t think anyone really believes Lando has a realistic chance either, so why pretend it is Oscars fault?
FS005
3rd September 2024, 1:00
Honestly this nonsense of overanalysis mistakes need to stop.
Firstly how the heck are you blaming Norris for Silverstone, Canada? Silverstone is completely in the team, so you just blame Leclerc for 2022 and Ferrari was completely faultless? Monaco 2022 was Leclerc’s fault or he lost the win because of stupid Ferrari strategy? Why don’t you blame Piastri for not winning Monza then?
And Verstappen won in Canada exactly the same way Lando won in Miami. So will you blame Max for throwing away a win in Miami? Or do you just expect Norris to illegally overtake the safety car and still win the race?
Honestly the hypocrisy just makes everything so stupidly toxic. Why isn’t anyone giving Piastri slack for not winning the races that Lando didn’t win. He has the same car as Lando but guess what, he bottled qualifying as well and started P10.
Piastri is not in the title fight and can afford to take risks. Norris has a chance but absolutely cannot afford any risks. That why Monza happened.
Please stop being so hypocritically toxic 👍
David (@nvherman)
3rd September 2024, 12:41
This
jamt
3rd September 2024, 1:31
Norris’s season just highlights what a brilliant 2021 season Max pulled off
Richard
3rd September 2024, 2:01
I think Mclaren may have already decided that Piastri is the no1 driver going forward.
I think they want him to develop his full potential as quickly as possible which is why they are letting him run.
Early in the season they were definitely favoring Norris at the pit stops and in general strategy but that was costing the team overall.
Piastri has better race craft, he’s more competitive and is improving faster.
Its a no brainer really.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
3rd September 2024, 15:30
They favoured norris also in hungary with pit stops, which was the cause of all the drama, that was no longer early season; without that pit stop, piastri would’ve been ahead on merit and would’ve had a deserved win.
Bruce
3rd September 2024, 5:45
Look Piastri has a killer instinct. Norris does not. Yes he is quick in qualifying but he freezes in racing…..
Brown loves a killer instinct….that is what gives long term results. PIastri is the superior racer and in the short term he is the big threat to Verstappin.
Brown knows this and he won’t want to intervene and name a number one driver.
To the team the constructor’s title is the most important this year.
If they win that this year watch what happens next year……Lando is overated and always has been…..Oscar will become the teams priority driver.
David (@nvherman)
3rd September 2024, 12:43
Piastri may have a killer instinct that Norris lacks, however, that does not change the fact that he is usually slower than Norris, often by quite a margin.
Norris has shown tremendous loyalty to McLaren, if you consider how long he’s signed to them for, and they really should be backing him more because of that.
Piastri’s time will come, but it’s not this season
Gaspar Palagyi (@palagyi)
3rd September 2024, 8:12
With the benefit of hindsight, everybody slams BMW Sauber for compromising their 2008 development efforts to focus more on the preaparation for the upcoming 2009 rule changes. They wasted their admittedly somewhat slim present chance for a future chance that never arrived. And it took Mclaren since 2012 to get back to the sharp end.
Just saying.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
3rd September 2024, 15:29
Yes, absolutely, you have to focus on what you can get in the present and not on a future chance, I’m of this view also in general life, not just in regards with f1.
Andy (@andycz)
3rd September 2024, 8:50
It’s funny because if McLaren did imply team orders, there would be an article saying is McLaren right to imply team orders? Let them race…
Iosif (@afonic)
3rd September 2024, 11:04
Let’s be honest here: Red Bull seem to be in a bad spot. If they don’t improve WDC is a possibility with Norris. If I was in charge of McLaren, closing to 20 years since my last one, I’d impose team orders. I’d let Oscar have his maiden win in Hungary, sure, but since Lando did his part then in Monza it should it should be clear: Whoever is ahead at turn 1 stays ahead.
At the very least, they should have swapped P2 and P3. Imagine if he loses the WDC for a couple of points…
David (@nvherman)
3rd September 2024, 12:45
Also this, given the emotional blackmail the team laid on Norris to give up the win for Piastri in Hungary
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
3rd September 2024, 15:27
Yes, indeed, he should point out on the radio what they told him in hungary, but then again, from what I read, norris doesn’t think he deserves team orders in his favour.
David (@nvherman)
3rd September 2024, 19:27
@esploratore1 I agree that Norris says he doesn’t think he deserves team orders on his favour, however, I suspect that that’s just part of his “open and honest” character. He’s very self-effacing, and owns up to every mistake he makes, both real and perceived.
But the team should also remember that they have a duty of care towards him as well.
As I wrote in an earlier reply
.
Dex
3rd September 2024, 15:13
Fans used to scream “Let them race” and hate team orders. Now suddenly some create the narrative how fans demand team orders and end of racing between teammates. I suppose this comes from Lando’s fans (which one could understand, somewhat) and some of the British pundits and the media, due to their usual bias (it can also be understood, but can’t be appreciated, especially when they show lack of class).
I would understand McLaren if they imposed those team orders. I understand that Lando hopes for those orders (it’s not brave, but it smart and self-centered, which is needed in modern F1). But I’d have to be insane to wish to never see Piastri’s overtake, and the battles those two so often have. Without those battles there would be almost nothing else to see, at least nothing of consequence. So the question is if McLaren are smart, or shooting themselves in the foot. This article shows some balanced approach and that’s always refreshing to see.
And the way things look at the moment, it’s quite possible that Piastri has even greater potential than Lando. His development is at least as quick as Lando’s was, and he already shows more mental strength. The difference in performance is getting smaller and smaller, so yes, McLaren much be thinking about the future. If they impose team orders, I’m pretty sure we’ll be seeing Piastri in RB or some other team within a year or two.
David BR (@david-br)
3rd September 2024, 17:49
Indeed. Stella: “The future is Oscar’s.”
I’m not sure any further explanation is needed.
Leo B
3rd September 2024, 17:52
The truth is Norris is just a tiny touch speedier in the races because of his skill in using the tyres to maximum advantage.
But Piastri has been learning very fast, and is very nearly there himself.
The minute Piastri achieves a BETTER skill with the tyres than Norris, he will leave Norris behind and will be the No.1 driver plain and simple. That point is coming at great speed. It will occur before the end of this season.
Nick T.
4th September 2024, 2:03
At great speed? He seems even further behind in quali pace this year than he did last season.
F1 frog (@f1frog)
4th September 2024, 13:50
I think they are prioritising keeping Oscar Piastri and team relations happy, so they can continue to have this great driver lineup for the next few years.
But you never know how good your car will be in the coming years. BMW Sauber prioritised the future rather than Robert Kubica’s title fight in 2008, while Jordan expected to continue their improvement after Heinz-Harald Frentzen’s incredible 1999 season. Yet, one shock moment at Interlagos in 2003 aside, neither team would ever win another Grand Prix (in that guise). McLaren may be one of the most successful teams in F1 history but in the last ten years, they have had similar levels of success to Jordan pre-1999 and BMW pre-2008. This could be their one and only chance to take a championship.
And it is a good chance at that. Lando Norris and McLaren are currently the fastest combination on the grid, and Max Verstappen and Red Bull are slipping further and further away. McLaren absolutely have to be maximising this one brilliant chance to take a championship, and that means prioritising Norris who is closer to Verstappen than Piastri is, and remains generally the better driver. They should be deploying team orders.
Nick T.
4th September 2024, 23:32
But BMW was literally leading or nearly tied for the lead in the WDC AND also focused on developing the car toward Heidfeld who was struggling. It may have been one of the most idiotic decisions ever.
Nick T.
4th September 2024, 23:32
But BMW was literally leading or nearly tied for the lead in the WDC AND also focused on developing the car toward Heidfeld who was struggling. It may have been one of the most foolish decisions ever.
Nick T.
4th September 2024, 23:32
But BMW was literally leading or nearly tied for the lead in the WDC AND also focused on developing the car toward Heidfeld who was struggling. It may have been one of the most foolish decisions ever.
Ramon
5th September 2024, 12:07
Just one point makes team orders at this moment a completely nono.
Look at the point standing if Norris and Max have a dnf next race, Oscar wins and leClerc P2.
Why the hell would Oscar and his team rule out such scenario and their position in the standing at that point. As long such scenarios (getting Oscar and leClerc full in WDC contention) are there, Oscar has to maximize HIS points total.
Jose Silva
5th September 2024, 21:57
As a joke, I like to say that there’s a F1 unwritten rule stating that McLaren Never Issues Team Orders for the Drivers’ Title. It didn’t in 1988, 1989, and especially in 1999 when Coulthard costed at least 14 points on Hakkinen’s lead t Iirvine (Austria and Belgium) and in 2007, obviously.
But the truth is this article is spot on – and it’s not that difficult to understand. It’s almost like a Physics rule. Had Norris been almost on par on points with Verstappen by now and he would have been made a Number One. He is not. The championship is a kind of a three-way, by now. A long shot, but I consider Heinz-Harald Frentzen as one of the four title contenders of 1999. And Jenson Button one of the five title contenders in 2010 – he was 4 points adrift of Vettel with 4 races to go.