McLaren F1 boss confirms new driver decision after 'painful' conversation

Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Netherlands, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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McLaren F1 boss confirms new driver decision after 'painful' conversation

Andrea Stella has been discussing McLaren's priorities

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 12 September 2024 18:39

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McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has confirmed a new direction the team will take with their current driver lineup ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have had brilliant seasons, both claiming their maiden victories in Formula 1, and catapulting McLaren into contention for the constructors' championship title.

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Following Red Bull's dismal summer period, McLaren are now just eight points behind the reigning world champions, with eight races still left in the 2024 season.

Norris is also in the hunt for the drivers' championship, and has cut Max Verstappen's gap down to 62 points despite having only won two out of a possible 16 races, and making a plethora of mistakes during recent events.

Lando Norris is in the hunt for Max Verstappen's crown

Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have achieved their maiden F1 win in 2024

Norris' championship charge

While some of Norris' performances this season have certainly not been world champion material, McLaren's desire to allow both of their young stars to race each other has not helped.

At Red Bull, Verstappen is given clear favour over Sergio Perez, while Norris' loss of 10 points in the last four races due to McLaren not letting him past Piastri, may have cost him an opportunity to further close the gap to the Dutchman.

Now, following criticism from pundits, ex-drivers and Norris himself of McLaren's 'papaya rules' strategy, Stella has revealed a change in direction from the upcoming Azerbaijan GP.

"We [will] bias our support to Lando but we want to do it without too much compromise on our principles," Stella told BBC Sport.

"Our principles are that the team interest always comes first. Sportsmanship for us is important in the overall way we go racing. And then we want to be fair to both drivers.

Andrea Stella is McLaren's team principal

"What we don't want to see any more is a situation like in Monza in which we enter a chicane P1/P2 and we exit P1/P3. Because that is a detriment to the team.

"The team interests comes first and these are the situations that above all we need to fix because eventually, as a matter of fact, the way we entered the race in Monza left the door open this situation.

"The conversations have been very collaborative," Stella continued.

"Even when I said to Oscar: 'Would you be available to give up a victory?' He said: 'It's painful, but if it's the right thing to do now, I will do it'.

"If I ask Lando, he would say: 'I am comfortable if in Abu Dhabi [at the end of the season] I miss a few points that I could have got with some actions, but if those actions were not right at the time, then, you know what? We keep strong as a team, the team is stable and cohesive, we will give it a go next year'," Stella concluded.