McLaren Will Not Favor aโฃ Driver in potential F1 Title Battle with โVerstappen
Austin, Texas – โฃOctober 21, โ2023 -โข Despite Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri demonstrating increasinglyโฃ competitive pace that positions them as potential challengers to Max Verstappen’s dominance, McLaren โคwill โคnot prioritize one driver in โa Formula 1 World Championshipโค fight. Team Principalโฃ Andrea Stella affirmed the team’s โคcommitment toโ aโ policy of equal chance, even as โคthe gap โto verstappen narrows.
The decision comes amid a remarkable mid-season turnaround for McLaren,โ fueled by meaningful upgrades to the MCL60. โnorrisโ secured sprint race pole position at the United States Grand Prix on October โข21,โฃ narrowly beatingโ Verstappen, signaling the team’s โgrowing โคthreat. While โคacknowledging the intensifying competition, stella emphasized โthat McLaren’sโ beliefs centers onโข maximizing collective performance, โคnot designating aโ lead driver. This stanceโข is notably โrelevant as both Norris and Piastri are considered capable of contendingโ for โขthe championship in โขfuture โseasons.
“We areโ very fortunate โto haveโค two highly talented drivers,” Stella โstated. “At โคthis stage,it’sโ importantโข for us to allow themโ to race each other and to develop as โindividuals.We believe that the best outcome for the โฃteam will โcome from havingโ both drivers performing โat โtheirโ best,andโข weโฃ won’tโ interfere with that.”
The commitment to equality stems from a belief that internal competition drives โคinnovation and โคadvancement. mclaren’sโฃ recent success is attributed, in part, to the collaborative environment fosteredโฃ betweenโ Norris andโ piastri. The โฃteamโ recognizes that a harmonious working โฃrelationship between its driversโข is crucial โฃfor sustained success.
Verstappen currently โleads the โค2023 Worldโฃ Championship standings with Red Bull Racing, โคbut McLaren’s recentโ form suggests โa more competitive โขlandscape in 2024. Theโข team’s ability โto consistently challenge Red Bull willโข depend โon continued advancement and the drivers’ โcapacity to capitalize on โopportunities.
McLaren last won a Formula 1 World Championship with lewis Hamilton in 2008. The โฃteam is investing โheavily โคin its infrastructure and personnelโ to returnโข to championship-winning form,โฃ and โฃmaintaining โa fair and competitive environmentโข for its โคdrivers is seen as a โkeyโ component of โthat strategy.