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Oscar Piastri has made it clear that it's not a blank cheque for Lando Norris when it comes to team orders implementation and it has to make sense in a particular case. The Australian has been one of the more impressive rookies to have made their way through the junior categories.
The driver is only in his second season in F1 but is quickly establishing himself as one of the best on the grid. He's won two races this season, the first in Hungary and the second one in Baku. At the same time, though, with only six races left, the gap between him and Lando Norris means that Oscar Piastri would have to play the role of the second driver if need be.
With just a handful of races left, Lando Norris still has a chance to beat Max Verstappen to the title. The gap between the two is 52 points with six races left, something that is quite achievable looking at the performances of the two teams. With that being said, Oscar Piastri, a top driver in his own right, would have to be a supporting cast, something that's never ideal.
McLaren has a policy of two top drivers, with both getting equal preference. With the championship on the line, however, Oscar Piastri would have to play the team game and help Lando.
The Australian has, however, made it clear that it's only going to be on a case-by-case basis. As quoted by PlanetF1, he said:
“The team wants to win both championships. If you have the opportunity to do so, you can’t let it pass you by. If I’m only thinking about myself, I don’t like team orders against me. No driver likes that. For your own pride, you want to show that you are the fastest driver on the track."
He added:
“Nevertheless, I will help Lando in the final races if I am asked. He has the more realistic chance of winning the title. But that’s not a blank cheque. It has to make sense for me to let him by. We also want to win the constructors’ championship and sacrificing my race to help Lando won’t help us achieve that goal.
"We will decide on a case-by-case basis. Baku showed how we do things at McLaren. If Lando hadn’t stopped Perez after the first pit stop, I might not have won. He has a share in my victory.”
Oscar Piastri not bothered by early-season points lost to Lando Norris
The Australian was pointed out that the form guide in the last few races has seen both the McLaren drivers neck and neck in terms of points. If it were not for the early-season slump where Lando Norris pulled out the advantage over Oscar Piastri, the two drivers might have been much closer right now.
Piastri was quite pragmatic about the situation, as he said he doesn't look at things in that manner. He said:
“I don’t believe in such arithmetic games. Some other driver has probably scored the most points from the last eight or last ten races. Anyone can get the result that makes them look good. What counts is the now. McLaren gives me a car that is very fast everywhere. And if it’s not the fastest car, like in Baku, it still gives you the chance to win if the team and you do everything right.”
Heading into the stretch of the last races, Lando Norris is in a situation where the McLaren driver can potentially challenge for the title. With him being 52 points behind Max Verstappen, if the Dutch driver has one or two bad races, things could change drastically.
