Lando Norris has denied that he has ‘lost out on points’ towards his 2024 Formula 1 title aspirations due to McLaren’s previous reluctance to implement team orders.
McLaren announced before last month’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix that it would begin to prioritise Norris over team-mate Oscar Piastri as it targets winning a title double.
The Woking-based squad has emerged as the benchmark team to seize the lead in the Constructors’ Championship, but Norris lies 52 points behind Max Verstappen.
Norris has been made to rue squandering opportunities to have lessened that advantage as he surrendered the lead to Piastri on the opening lap in Hungary and Italy.
Piastri’s brave move on Norris at Monza contributed to the team giving up a win to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and was the turning point in McLaren’s intra-team policies.
However, the Briton has quashed the stance that McLaren could have bolstered his championship prospects had it supported him over Piastri earlier in the campaign.
“I’ve not lost out on any points,” Norris said. “It’s like saying from Round 1 Oscar needs to let me past in every race, it doesn’t make sense.
“I’ve been the closest for a long time, but other drivers can still win the championship, not just me.
“We’re still fighting for ourselves – Oscar is fighting for himself, Charles [Leclerc] is fighting for himself. There isn’t a number.
“You cannot say exactly this race rules need to change. It doesn’t make sense. I’m very happy with how we’ve worked as a team and the direction we’re going.”
Norris commends Stella’s management
The turnaround that has McLaren on course to seize its first Constructors’ title since 1998 has occurred since Andrea Stella was appointed as team boss in late 2022.
Asked how well Stella has managed discussions around team orders at McLaren this season, Norris replied: “Very, very good, and I probably wouldn’t ask for anyone else to have his job and make these kinds of decisions.
“From all the people that I’ve known and worked with, I think Andrea is one of the most integral parts of keeping a team together, motivating the team, pushing the team, making the team what it is today, which is close to being the best team in Formula 1 at the minute.
“I have a lot of confidence in him and we just work well. There’s always good points, constructive points, criticism points, but that all just makes us work better as a team. I think the most important thing that we have is just honesty between one another.
“When I agree or disagree, when he agrees or disagrees, we say it to one another and we come up with the best solution.
“I’m very happy with how he works, how he wants to understand things. He’s a smart guy but he’s also a racer.
“He knows how you go racing and he’s worked with a lot of incredible drivers in the past, so he knows the mentality of drivers as well and how every driver just wants to go out and win and not listen to what people say, but also know you have to at the same time. I couldn’t ask for a better boss.”
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