THE NEW MCLAREN MINDSET THAT ‘ISN’T GOING TO SIT COMFORTABLY’ WITH OSCAR PIASTRI CLAIM

David Coulthard said his former team McLaren must now “think they’re World Champions” and if they do back one driver for the Drivers’ title, it is bad news for Oscar Piastri.

While earlier in F1 2024 it appeared as though Red Bull were heading for a third title double on the trot, now the specter of McLaren looms large, the Woking squad only eight points behind Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship with as many races remaining, while Lando Norris has reduced Max Verstappen’s Drivers’ Championship lead to 62 points.

McLaren ‘champions’ mentality could hinder Oscar Piastri

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher and Sam Cooper

Coulthard, speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, acknowledged the strengthening calls for McLaren to back Norris, and admitted that if McLaren are to put their eggs in one basket, the call would go Norris’ way, which “isn’t going to sit comfortably with Oscar”.

“We’re in this situation where there’s only 44 points between Oscar and Lando, where Lando is 62 points behind Max. So arguably, it’s actually too close to call in terms of doing a team order,” Coulthard began.

“There was many people, many of the channels, many of the journalists after Monza saying, ‘McLaren need to get behind one driver’. Quite clearly, if they are, it has to be the guy with more points. That isn’t going to sit comfortably with Oscar.

“But I think that McLaren now absolutely need to think they’re World Champions. Because if you think you’re lucky to be in a position to win the Constructors’, and you think you’re lucky to win races, you’re not thinking like the champion teams.

“The champion teams are pissed off when they don’t win races. They’re not going, ‘Well, you know, second and third is a good result’, they’re going, ‘What a disaster! We should have won this race!’

“So some big, big debates that will have to take place in the coming weeks.”

A closer look at the F1 2024 Lando Norris v Oscar Piastri head-to-heads

👉 F1 2024: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying record between team-mates

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella confirmed as much, the team’s “papaya rules” of engagement receiving an analysis after Piastri’s brave overtake on Norris at the second Monza chicane during the opening lap, taking the lead from Norris who soon dropped to P3, where he finished, a position behind Piastri as Charles Leclerc and Ferrari pulled off a one-stop masterclass.

And Stella confirmed that McLaren are ready to chase the Drivers’ title with Norris.

Asked by media including PlanetF1.com at Monza whether there will be a stage where Norris is McLaren’s number one driver, Stella replied: “Well, already in our conversation, even before the race here, we acknowledge that Lando is in the best position from a Drivers’ Championship point of view.

“So we have conversations with Oscar, we have conversations with Lando, and we have conversations together, and then we kind of define our rules of engagement.

“We need to take a look at the first lap, but it has to be done in a way that is competent, is detailed, specific, takes into account the videos, takes into account what was the driver’s expectation, and then see what can we learn from this situation to adjust the future situations.

“I state the fact that we do want to give it a go at the Championship with Lando.”

However, as part of this mission, Coulthard’s co-star, ex-F1 team boss Eddie Jordan, believes McLaren will continue to let Norris and Piastri be free to race under the “papaya rules”.

“I can guarantee that anything that happens in that team, fairness and sportsmanship will override everything,” he said.

“So that’s why I think it’ll be an open book. I think that McLaren owe it to their two drivers to have brought them to where they are at the moment. I think that is not in danger.

“Do I feel that they will pick and say, ‘Okay, Lando, this is your World Championship. Have a go with this and see. Will you help then maybe Oscar the following year?’ No, I think that’s too elongated, it’s absolutely too much pie in the sky, because things change so dramatically in Formula 1, as we know and as we’ve seen with McLaren.

“I think there will be an open book. And personally, going into the next race, it’s the same, everyone is able to race.”

And next up is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a race won by Red Bull for the past three years.

2024-09-07T12:43:24Z dg43tfdfdgfd