Oscar Piastri’s rapid rise has resulted in McLaren finding themselves in a conundrum this season. Since Lando Norris continues to be Max Verstappen’s closest challenger in the drivers’ championship, McLaren confirmed that they will prioritize Norris over Piastri ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last weekend.
However, things may change next year when both Norris and Piastri start on level terms. If Piastri continues to perform at the level he has been performing recently, he will feel hard done if McLaren ask him to play second fiddle to Norris next year as well. Particularly, if they are both fighting for the championship.
In such a situation, David Croft believes that McLaren will set clear agendas for both their drivers. When asked in an interview with Fox Sports Australia, if the Woking outfit will be ready for a situation when both their drivers may fight for the title next season, Croft replied,
“I think they will because they will take stock over the winter. They will revise their expectations and they will go out and set a very clear agenda for next year. I think there will be a clear agenda going forward this year as well.”
Croft then explained how McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is an individual who can help guide the team through such periods of dilemma. The F1 commentator stated that since the Italian has been a race engineer to legendary drivers like Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, he now has ample experience in dealing with such difficult situations and doing well for the team.
Moments from the radio. pic.twitter.com/jEkEsDzu6x
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) September 17, 2024
The topic of McLaren’s capabilities in managing two top drivers like Piastri and Norris came about after the team has had various moments of indecision that have cost them previously this year. It was at Monza when many experts were left baffled after McLaren didn’t impose team orders to prioritize Norris in the race as the Briton is Verstappen’s closest rival.
With Piastri overtaking Norris at the start, the Briton ended up finishing only third behind his teammate and Charles Leclerc. As a result, Norris lost out on an opportunity to score three more points that could prove to be valuable by the season’s end in deciding who wins the drivers’ title.
