Lando Norris got back-to-back pole positions in F1 for the first time as he pipped his teammate, Oscar Piastri with the fastest lap in Q3 for the 2024 Italian GP. Norris goes into the Grand Prix on Sunday with a chance to reduce the 70-point deficit he has to Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship.
After the session concluded, McLaren CEO, Zak Brown sat down for a chat with former world champion, Nico Rosberg. The German asked Brown whether Piastri would now be told to support his teammate in his title fight and if team orders would become the norm at Woking.
Brown explained that up until this point in the championship, the team had no clear number one – number two driver situation. However, going into the last nine races of the season, the team will internally discuss and have a conversation with the Aussie driver.
nico: so tomorrow I think it’s time if oscar overtakes lando or something on the start, I think it’s time for on the fourth lap to hear, “oscar please let lando pass for the championship.” are we gonna hear that?
— comfort lando (@safeforlando) August 31, 2024
Sky Sports F1 quoted the McLaren CEO as explaining, “We have a Drivers’ Championship, a Constructors’ Championship and we will see how things play out and keep everyone on their toes. Oscar has been very clear: he is happy to support the team. We will have a conversation behind closed doors and will share that matter when we decide ourselves.”
There would be a sense of urgency in the McLaren camp to establish a certain hierarchy until the end of the season. The lack of direct team orders had almost cost McLaren a huge embarrassment during the 2024 Hungarian GP.
Is Piastri ready to play second-fiddle to Norris at McLaren?
The fiasco at Budapest had been made up for by the #4 driver when he let Piastri back into the lead towards the last few laps of the race. Piastri would be appreciative of this fact and maybe ready to play the team game to further Norris‘ title ambitions.
“I put myself in his shoes… I had to do what was right”
A bittersweet P2 for Lando Norris after surrendering the win to team mate Oscar Piastri#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/ApwgJoKaG4
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 21, 2024
Piastri has been very close to matching Norris’ performances. Last time out at the Dutch Grand Prix, the Australian couldn’t make the most of his pace and ended up off the first row of the grid. In the race as well, he had to sit out the podium after being stuck behind Charles Leclerc for a large part of the race.
However, for the Italian Grand Prix, he starts alongside his teammate. With Norris’ tendency to have bad starts — which has been evident in Shanghai, Barcelona, Budapest, and Zandvoort this season — Piastri has a golden chance to take the lead of the race on the first lap.
However, if that scenario pans out, McLaren will be once again in a tough situation just like the Hungarian GP. As a result, Brown will be wanting to sort out the pecking order before his drivers tackle turn 1 tomorrow.
