McLaren maintains its position: there is no reason to favor Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri, despite the latent threat of Max Verstappen in the penultimate race of the season in Qatar.
The disastrous double retirement of McLaren in Las Vegas has reignited the fight for the championship, with Verstappen tying Piastri in points and placing himself only 24 points behind Norris.
A win in a Grand Prix grants 25 points, and in this week’s sprint race there are eight additional points at stake. The season will conclude with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 7.
Verstappen’s bid for the title, which had gained momentum, now represents a real threat to McLaren at this crucial stage.
In a team Q&A session, McLaren boss Andrea Stella was asked if Verstappen’s position would prompt a change in the team’s driver management.
McLaren has achieved 13 victories this year, compared to Red Bull’s six. Norris has secured seven victories for McLaren, while Piastri has obtained six. McLaren has maintained a policy of allowing Norris and Piastri to compete on equal terms throughout the season. Although Piastri’s chances seem remote, he still has options to win the title. Stella stated that there will be no changes until Piastri’s chances are mathematically exhausted.No, there is no reason to do it.
Andrea Stella
We have always said that, as long as the mathematics do not say otherwise, we will let the two drivers fight for their options for the final victory, and so it will be in Qatar.
Andrea Stella
Let’s not forget that if someone had told us at the beginning of the season that we would be in this situation with two races to go, we would have signed it!
Andrea Stella
McLaren has already secured the constructors’ championship, retaining the title won in 2024. Verstappen seeks to repeat what he achieved last year and take his Red Bull to the drivers’ championship, even though another team has won the constructors’.Now we are going to fight for the double world championship with confidence and awareness of our strength.
Andrea Stella
In the event that McLaren loses the title to Verstappen, it would become the second team in F1 history to repeat as constructors’ champions without winning the drivers’ championship in either of the two seasons. Ferrari was the last to achieve this, in 1982 and 1983.
