McLaren Boss Stella Acknowledges Challenges in Balancing Driver Ambitions During Title Fight
Singapore – McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has conceded the team is encountering increasing difficulty in maintaining its “let them race” policy as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri compete both with rivals and each other in the Formula One championship standings. The admission comes after a contentious incident during the Singapore Grand Prix where contact between the two drivers sparked debate over Norris’s overtaking maneuver.
The incident, which saw Norris briefly tagged by championship leader Max verstappen before making contact with Piastri, prompted a post-race exchange where Norris defended his attempt too take the inside line, stating, “If you fault me for just going on the inside of a big gap then you should not be in formula One. There was nothing wrong with what I did.”
McLaren opted not to alter the drivers’ finishing order, initially determining Norris was not at fault due to the impact from verstappen. Stella confirmed the team is undertaking a thorough review, stating, “The review needs to be very detailed, very analytical, and it needs to take into account the point of view of our two drivers…We need to be accurate as there is a lot at stake, not only the championship points but the trust of our drivers and the way we operate as a team.”
Norris has narrowed the gap to Piastri in the championship to 22 points with six races remaining. McLaren previously demonstrated its commitment to fairness by instructing Piastri to cede a position to Norris at Monza following a slow pit stop for the British driver.
However, Stella acknowledged the inherent conflict between team principles and individual driver aspirations. “When you are racing as a team, you cannot have exactly the same interests for the two drivers because they want to pursue their aspirations,” he said. “We want to protect this ‘let them race’ concept and we know as soon as you adopt this concept you face difficulties.”
