Report: McLaren draws the hierarchy line between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri following tense Italian GP

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has confirmed that Lando Norris will be prioritized for the drivers’ championship in the remaining races of 2024. Speaking to BBC Sport in Azerbaijan, Stella emphasized that securing the best possible results for the team is crucial, to prevent missed opportunities like those seen in Monza.

At Monza, Norris finished third behind Oscar Piastri after the two McLaren drivers clashed in the opening laps. This internal competition allowed Charles Leclerc to seize victory. Had McLaren prioritized Norris, a 1-2 finish could have been within reach. Even if Norris had simply finished ahead of his Australian teammate, the points gap to Max Verstappen would be smaller than the current 62-point deficit.

After the Italian GP, Andrea Stella mentioned to media outlets, including Sportskeeda, that the team would review the opening laps and their rules of engagement. Speaking to the BBC in Baku, the McLaren boss confirmed they would be backing Lando Norris in the title fight. He emphasized that the team’s priority is winning both championships. While Norris remains the closest challenger to reigning champion Max Verstappen, the lack of prioritization has left McLaren vulnerable, allowing rivals to chip away at their points.

Explaining the hierarchy of the McLaren drivers from the Baku race onwards, Stella said:

“The overall concept is we are incredibly determined to win, but we want to win in the right way. We [will] bias our support to Lando but we want to do it without too much compromise on our principles. 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. 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.”

Further elaborating on their objectives moving forward, the McLaren team principal added:

“After Monza, three objectives: we need to make sure that anything that happens on track is not to the detriment of the team. Second objective, how do we win both championships, both drivers committed to help? But what we don't want to do is win in a reckless way. Those are the three topics and they define the way we go racing in Baku. This will be updated after Baku.”

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McLaren's Andrea Stella reckons Oscar Piastri is ready to support Lando Norris for the championship

Andrea Stella believes Oscar Piastri is reluctantly prepared to support Lando Norris in the pursuit of the Drivers’ Championship. The McLaren team principal revealed that the Australian driver has agreed to assist both the team and Norris in their bid to secure both titles in 2024. Stella felt that Norris deserved the win at the Italian GP and is confident that both drivers are ready to collaborate in their fight to challenge Red Bull and Max Verstappen in the upcoming races.

Speaking to BBC Sport about the conversations with the McLaren drivers post-Monza, Stella said:

“The conversations have been very collaborative. 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.’ Every driver is hard-wired to go for a victory. So I am always very impressed by the level of team spirit and maturity and collaboration that we found in this period. Lando wants to win because he deserved the victory on track."

He added:

“It's OK to be occasionally supported by your team-mate, but you don't want to use, systematically, ways of adjusting the race just for the sake of the points when your team-mate is scoring in a way that he deserves. This is not the way McLaren want to win, or the way Lando wants to win. 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.”

McLaren is just eight points behind Red Bull Racing in the F1 Constructors’ Championship and could potentially take the lead if they maximize their performance at the Azerbaijan GP. In the Drivers’ Championship, Norris trails Verstappen by 62 points, but with the upcoming street race doubleheader on tracks where the Red Bull RB20 might struggle, McLaren has a real opportunity. However, the Woking-based team will need to prioritize Norris, something they failed to do in several races before the summer break. This lack of focus on their lead driver allowed rivals to chip away at their points and cost them key victories.