With eight Grands Prix and three sprint races left in the season, cutting down a 62-point lead is a tall order for Lando Norris. Zak Brown understands the same but remains optimistic about his driver’s ability to deliver. Helping the British driver in the cause, the McLaren CEO has recently revealed that Oscar Piastri will finally be taking a step back and helping him however he can.
Speaking to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his podcast, Brown addressed the ongoing title bout between Max Verstappen and Norris. With the ‘Papaya Rules’ hindering the #4 driver’s challenge, McLaren has now decided to prioritize Norris given the tough odds of overturning such a considerable lead.
“There’s only three drivers that have come from this far back, this time of the year to do it. But we’re going to give it everything we got. Oscar [Piastri] is going to do everything he can to help.”, Brown said.
However, should Verstappen return to winning ways — leaving it mathematically impossible for Norris to win the title — the McLaren drivers will return to racing each other.
In Monza, there was no chance of Piastri backing down from racing his teammate. Given there was still the mathematical possibility of him stealing the title away, the Aussie driver did not want to back down.
Moreover, even McLaren and Brown had confirmed that they were happy for their drivers to race. But the backlash over the Papaya Rules seems to have influenced the team to take a step back on their policy.
McLaren team rules see a late change
With Norris and Piastri racing each other, hardly anyone supported the team in their decision to not implement team orders. It had also cost the Woking-based team valuable points in the previous races. Following the race in Monza, McLaren has finally decided to put an end to it all.
However, Brown explained that the decision wasn’t easy as he had two number-one drivers on his team. Moreover, the 52-year-old understands it isn’t easy for any driver to play the secondary role, given they are an extremely competitive breed.
Nonetheless, the McLaren CEO instilled confidence in Piastri, who will be taking a step back. At 23, the Aussie driver still has a long career ahead of him and will have plenty of chances to challenge for the title. As such, letting this opportunity go shouldn’t be too big of a sacrifice.
