With Lando Norris emerging as the main challenger to Max Verstappen for the title last year, it became clear that McLaren had to prioritize him. Oscar Piastri had to take a back seat and support his teammate in any way he could. However, McLaren’s decision to let the two drivers race each other drew significant criticism.
For instance, in Italy, the McLaren duo secured a front-row lockout in qualifying, with Norris on pole, giving them a prime opportunity to secure a perfect 1-2 finish. Unfortunately, Piastri started aggressively, overtaking Norris with a bold move on the outside at the Della Roggia chicane to take the lead.
A stunned Norris then lost another position and ultimately finished third. To make matters worse, Piastri didn’t even win the race. Instead, it was Charles Leclerc who stood atop the podium that afternoon, celebrating in front of the ecstatic Tifosi.
As far as McLaren was concerned, that was the final straw.
The Woking-based outfit had to make the tough call of asking Piastri to play wingman to Norris for the sake of his championship bid. The Melbourne-born driver understood he had to accept that role, as resisting it wouldn’t make sense — something he acknowledged in Drive to Survive Season 7.
“Lando is, ultimately, at the end of the day, more experienced. Me kicking and screaming is not gonna do anything, and that’s just not who I am,” Piastri said in episode six of the blockbuster series.
The 23-year-old had been matching Norris’ pace throughout the 2024 season and thus, wanted equal treatment from the team. However, the fact that he wasn’t close enough to challenge Verstappen for the title, likely gave Norris the pecking order advantage.
LAP 1 / 53
PIASTRI TAKES THE LEAD!!
The Australian sweeps around Norris at the Della Roggia chicane to lead the field!!
Leclerc also squeezes past into second, sparking jubilation in the stands! #F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/ViptiU4v5v
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 1, 2024
Sadly, despite being McLaren’s number-one driver, Norris couldn’t clinch the Drivers’ title. His championship hopes ended mathematically at the Las Vegas GP, with two races to spare.
Meanwhile, given Piastri’s remarkable progress from his rookie season — winning two races — McLaren also knew they couldn’t afford to relegate him to a permanent number-two role.
McLaren knows Piastri has a higher ceiling than Norris
After the Italian GP, where Piastri and Norris had to settle for second and third respectively behind Leclerc, McLaren CEO Zak Brown admitted that their policy of treating both drivers equally hadn’t worked in their favor. He explained that the plan was to avoid being overtaken by rival teams on the first lap.
Had they instructed Piastri not to attack Norris at the start, their race could have unfolded much more smoothly. However, the Aussie clarified that the team had not imposed any restrictions on overtaking in the opening corners of the first lap. “We’re free to race each other, so, you know, there’s no rule about the first corner. That decision is down to Zak,” he said.
McLaren’s hesitation in prioritizing Norris over Piastri largely stemmed from the Melbourne-born driver’s immense potential. Having secured three consecutive junior championship titles from 2019 to 2021, Piastri came to F1 with a very high reputation.
McLaren recognized his talent early on, which is why they aggressively signed him from Alpine in the first place.
Meanwhile, despite spending six seasons at Woking, Norris has yet to fully capitalize on his potential. McLaren may already see signs that Piastri could surpass him in the coming years. Keeping him happy by maintaining equal treatment might be their way of ensuring long-term stability within the team.
