McLaren team boss Andrea Stella is not worried that the title battle between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris could escalate
Even though McLaren team boss Andrea Stella denies that the world championship battle is now only between his drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, it seems likely that it will ultimately come down to an internal team title duel. There are no signs of any problems between the two drivers at the moment, but the question is whether this will remain the case.
Piastri denied on Thursday in Hungary that there would be a conflict similar to that between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in the late 1980s, and Stella also does not see this danger looming. On the contrary: “If anything, the relationship between Oscar and Lando is improving all the time,” he emphasizes.
And that’s no coincidence. McLaren is consciously investing in the relationship because they know that the relationship between the drivers is just as crucial as aerodynamics, even if it may seem less tangible.
Hungary 2024 as a learning experience
There appeared to be a first rift a year ago in Hungary when Oscar Piastri claimed his first Formula 1 victory under controversial circumstances. At the time, Lando Norris had to let his teammate pass on the team’s instructions, but did so reluctantly amid loud protests.
According to Stella, the team deliberately took a lot of time after the race to discuss the issue with the drivers and learn from it. “We reminded each other how difficult Formula 1 is and that we will always be faced with challenges. This realization is important,” says the Italian.
“This then raises the question: What can we improve? What can we do as a team to ensure that Lando and Oscar can pursue their goals without losing sight of the team’s interests?” he said.
In this respect, however, Stella is fortunate to have “two very sensible, fair and correct drivers. They are modest and, above all, they understand that this is not just about short-term success, but also about the future of their careers and of McLaren Racing.”
What happens when the pressure increases?
Of course, no one knows how things will develop when the pressure mounts in the championship battle towards the end of the season. Stella is well aware of this: “I think it’s quite possible that a natural feeling of pressure will develop, simply because the number of races remaining is decreasing and that makes every single race a little more important,” he says.
“But from a team principal’s perspective, I can say that our two drivers and the whole team have been very consistent in this championship battle so far. We’ve built up a solid approach to racing over the season. And Lando and Oscar have played a big part in that.”
“It’s not that the team has come up with a plan and the drivers are just following it – we’ve developed it together. And I think that robust foundation becomes even more important the closer we get to the end of the season, as the marginal value of each race increases,” said the team boss.
Stella isn’t writing Verstappen off
Whoever performs better will be revealed. Norris started the year stronger, but seemed to have more problems than Piastri with a few changes to the car. “Due to updates, there are now slight differences in the setups that Lando and Oscar are using,” says Stella.
“But the positive thing is that both are now able to drive relatively naturally again and show their talents. You can see that on the track, and that’s exactly what we wanted to achieve as a team.”
He believes that it will therefore be very exciting until the end of the season. And yet he would never write off someone like Max Verstappen. “I only believe in the math. And only when the math tells me that’s the case will I change my mind.“
”We’re alert, we’re focused, and we want to put our drivers in a position to fight for the title until the last race,” he says.
