McLaren CEO Zak Brown wants to sit down with team boss Andrea Stella and his two drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri during the Formula 1 summer break to decide how McLaren will deal with the issue of team orders in the second half of the season.
In Hungary, the racing team had instructed Norris to hand over his lead to team-mate Piastri after the Briton had only managed to overtake him using team tactics. However, this meant that Norris wasted seven points, which he could urgently use as the first pursuer of World Championship leader Max Verstappen.
Although both drivers felt it was too early to commit to a number 1, given Piastri’s large gap of 116 points to Verstappen, this step could be taken soon. Norris has the more realistic chances with “only” 76 points behind.
“In the end it will be Andrea’s decision. But first we want to get through the first half of the season and see where we end up this weekend,” says Brown.
Formula 1: Verstappen ranks ahead of Norris
From McLaren’s perspective, the problem is Max Verstappen. While Brown believes the constructors’ championship is “achievable” despite being 51 points behind Red Bull, the three-time world champion is ensuring that Norris cannot really get any closer in the drivers’ championship.
“The difficulty with the drivers is that Max’s bad days are second and third places,” he says. “So it’s more difficult to make the same comeback as the constructors, where Sergio Perez is struggling at the moment – although we also know that he is capable of turning things around at any time.”
Brown himself was not present at the race in Hungary, but he says that he never doubted that Norris would let Piastri pass. “It just took a little longer because they were allowed to drive freely. But if he had swapped straight away, he would have had 21 more laps,” he says.
But he’s actually glad that didn’t happen and that Norris didn’t go for the win, “because that would have meant 21 rounds of nail-biting for me,” he laughs. “But in the end it worked out, even if we learned a lot, like communicating better and dealing with each other more clearly.”
Formula 1: McLaren wants to reduce gap
In Spa-Francorchamps this weekend, McLaren has another opportunity to reduce the gap to Verstappen and Red Bull. Friday also looked pretty good from the racing team’s point of view, as Norris and Piastri finished first and second at the end of the day, meaning team boss Stella spoke of a “positive first day” in Spa.
“The drivers were able to complete their programs without interruption,” he says happily. “We focused on understanding the performance of the tires and with half of the track being resurfaced, there was a lot to learn,” says Stella.
“We have collected good data and will work hard tonight to understand it in order to improve the car and put ourselves in the best position for tomorrow’s qualifying to be competitive on Sunday.”
Despite his best time, Norris is not very enthusiastic about Friday: “I don’t yet feel like I can just go out and put in a lap,” he says. “I didn’t feel comfortable in the car today. I hope that I wake up tomorrow and feel more comfortable, and find a better rhythm. But at least the timesheet looks positive.”
Source: www.sport.de
