Has McLaren left it too late for team orders? Our F1 writers have their say
While McLaren is odds-on favourite to claim the constructors’ title, its unwillingness to shift its weight towards Lando Norris may well cost him the drivers’ title against Max Verstappen. Has McLaren left it too late or can Norris still win it? Our F1 writers have their say.
Jonathan Noble – Sacrificing Norris’ chances on the altar of fairness may lead to regret
To twist a famous phrase, the best time for McLaren to impose team orders was yesterday. The second-best time is right now.
While we do not know yet how the twists and turns of this remarkable Formula 1 title battle between Norris and Verstappen will play out, few doubt that the margin at the end is going to come down to more than a few points.
So, with McLaren finally realising that, in the word of team boss Andrea Stella, it needs to start ‘capitalising’ better on its car form, it cannot go amiss that it has left points on the table – and perhaps enough that will make the difference.
Sure, the Hungarian Grand Prix switch between Norris and Oscar Piastri involved different elements than the title battle, but what happened at Monza should not sit easily within the walls of Woking.
In a parallel universe, with the team holding 1-2 on the exit of the first chicane, that door was open for it to maintain those positions all the way to the chequered flag – irrespective of Ferrari’s tyre wear.
Holding station would have kept Charles Leclerc back in third place and minimised Ferrari’s opportunities to go for the alternative strategy. Plus, not having Norris and Piastri racing each other hard would have been better for tyre life – further shifting things in its favour.
So instead of Norris coming away with 16 points on a day when his title rival took eight, he could have had 10 more for the win – which may or may not make the difference by the time we leave Abu Dhabi.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella’s justification for not imposing team orders – in that it is “brutal” and wrecks the racing spirit between drivers – is understandable to a point.
But equally, the downsides that come from throwing every effort behind one driver would be far outweighed by the squad having a chance of walking away with its first F1 drivers and constructors’ double since 1998 – before when both Norris and Piastri were even born.
An opportunity like McLaren has right now is literally, then, once in a lifetime, and sacrificing its chance on the altar of fairness and equity holds with it the danger that if it misses out because of it, and another chance does not come for years, then the regret will last a very long time.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38 battles with Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
Alex Kalinauckas – Red Bull’s disastrous form means it’s still game on for Norris
Thanks to Formula 1’s wildly long calendar, all eight drivers from the leading four teams remain in mathematical contention to win the drivers’ championship that Verstappen currently heads by 62 points. Obviously, that includes both McLaren drivers and this explains some of what Piastri was doing in attacking Norris on the first lap at Monza. The rest surely comes down to not wanting to be seen as a ‘number two driver’ – something reflected in what is coming to be viewed as an iron-willed personality within the Australian.
Reading between the lines of what Stella said post-race on Sunday, McLaren is now set to impose team orders on its drivers from now on, with Norris Verstappen’s closest challenger and Piastri 44 points further back.
The key here isn’t actually McLaren’s dilly-dallying, in terms of asking if Norris can catch Verstappen with his team-mate’s wider assistance. It’s how bad things are at Red Bull.
If it can’t win at Monza – having had its Spa happy hunting ground wrecked by Verstappen’s engine penalty there – with its aerodynamically efficient package, then it’s hard to see where it might recover. Ferrari will be a threat in Baku too with Leclerc’s circuit brilliance there and Singapore seems to be anyone’s bet bar Red Bull.
Finishing ahead of Piastri on Sunday would have meant an 11-point swing compared to Verstappen. But if he can replicate that at every round from now on, he can still win the 2024 title. It will be hard – no doubt, given those finishing positions will inevitably fluctuate, but the gap can now be bridged (and the three sprints offer further chances to score).
If Red Bull can’t turn things around with car developments, or the brewing flexi-wing scandal doesn’t swing the pecking order around again, then Verstappen will also be more regularly exposed to incidents in the pack and perhaps will make more mistakes pushing at the limit this turn. It’s a hard game, but it is just about still on for Norris.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, 2nd position, Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 3rd position, in the Press Conference
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
Ben Hunt – McLaren has prioritised harmony over the drivers’ title
One of the elements I have been most intrigued to watch over the past 20 months is the relationship between Norris and Piastri and how it is being managed by McLaren.
For the majority of that time, the relationship could best be described as collaborative, without the levels of bromance we saw between Norris and Carlos Sainz, and minus the tension between Norris and Daniel Ricciardo.
However, over the past few months there has been a noticeable shift in the dynamic between the two as they grow accustomed to chasing victories and the expectations that brings.
That change has served to alter the collaborative relationship as they evolve from team-mates to rivals.
It is my feeling that McLaren needed to respond to that shift in dynamic in order to give itself the best chance of attaining victory in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championship.
From the outside, what seems to have happened is that in all the revelling of the upturn in results, they have been focused on maintaining the harmony within the team, especially with their two racing drivers.
However, in prioritising that status quo over the uncomfortable ruthlessness of backing Norris, who has the better chance of winning the title, they have lost ground on catching Verstappen.
McLaren was slow to respond and take maximum advantage of Red Bull’s current slump in form. Norris lost points in Hungary where McLaren swapped him and Piastri for the win, and again at Monza, where the Brit should have been allowed to take second-place at the expense of his team-mate.
The approach to not have a standout number one is admirable, but the reality is that stance is costing Norris points, which could be crucial come the end of the season.
I also wonder what positive impact it would have on Norris, if he were to be made the priority. Would doing so actually help him to cut out any mistakes, like at the start, for he would be less inclined to be worrying about his nearest rival and team-mate?
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, 2nd position, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, 3rd position, into Parc Ferme at the end of the race
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Filip Cleeren – McLaren has already done enough to prove it treats both drivers fairly
It seems like there is a keen desire from McLaren CEO Zak Brown to do things as differently as possible compared to Red Bull in every area while his rivalry with Christian Horner keeps rumbling on, including not having a set number-one driver like Verstappen.
But I think he and Stella have done enough now to prove that they treat both drivers equally and that both Norris and Piastri are de facto two number ones at the start of any given campaign.
It might be significant that Piastri has Mark Webber in his corner, as his manager has plenty of experience with being demoted to a number two driver during his time at Red Bull. Remember Multi-21?
So, you wouldn’t fault the Australian side of the garage for pushing back hard against the idea of Piastri playing second fiddle for the rest of the season, just like you can’t blame Piastri for his audacious Monza lunge at Norris if the team hadn’t expressly disallowed it.
You could argue that backing Norris as early as Hungary and robbing Piastri of his maiden win could have done irreparable damage to the trust between Piastri’s side and McLaren. But, surely, since Norris’ Zandvoort win the situation is so clear cut that that call has now made itself.
Piastri will also realise that works both ways. What if the positions are reversed next year and he needs Norris’ help in the drivers’ championship?
Most projections that Norris remains in the driving seat of the title race are banking on McLaren staying as competitive as it is, and Red Bull failing to find their way out of the doldrums, but there are no guarantees in Formula 1.
Just like McLaren’s gap to Ferrari wasn’t all that big in Monza and there will be other tracks where wins aren’t going to come easily, the papaya squad also can’t count on Red Bull being this uncompetitive for the rest of the season.
At the end of the day, Verstappen still finished second in Zandvoort and there will be other races where he will fight at the front despite his car’s limitations. When the top four teams are this close, every point lost is one too many.
