Formula 1: McLaren to prioritize Lando Norris for the rest of 2024 in its pursuit of Max Verstappen

McLaren changes its racing philosophy as Lando Norris attempts to overtake Max Verstappen for the Formula 1 title.

McLaren F1 team principal Andrea Stella told the BBC that the team will prioritise Norris’ success for the remainder of the season. McLaren has had Norris and Oscar Piastri racing for most of the season so far, although it has provided the biggest example of team orders of the season.

Verstappen leads the drivers’ standings with 303 points. Norris is second with 241 points and has been faster than Verstappen since the start of the summer.

McLaren took the front row at the most recent race at Monza, with Norris starting first ahead of Piastri. The two drivers raced each other at the start of the opening lap, with Piastri sneaking past each other to take first place. Piastri then finished second behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on a one-stop strategy, with Norris third.

Earlier this season, Piastri took his first career victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix when McLaren asked Norris to move over for Piastri. The Australian had led for most of the race, but Norris’ late pit strategy saw him take the lead on the final round of pit stops. McLaren demanded that Norris move over for Piastri, which he did in the closing laps.

If McLaren had let Norris out in front in Hungary, he would have been on 248 points and 55 points behind Verstappen. The total would have been 52 if they had asked Piastri to let Norris pass in Monza as well.

Team orders are sometimes a hard fact of Formula 1, even if they are not fun to watch unless you are a fan of the driver who benefits from them. But this move is the right strategic option for McLaren at this time.

Norris is catching up to Verstappen in the standings and needs all the help he can get. Verstappen hasn’t won since June 23 in Spain and is in the midst of a six-race winless drought. Norris hasn’t finished lower than fifth in the last five races and has finished on the podium four times in that period.

Since finishing last in Austria on June 30, Norris has taken 19 points off Verstappen’s lead in the standings. It’s a pace that makes the title race far from a formality, but also one that doesn’t give Norris much of a chance of winning the title.

Conversely, McLaren are the heavy favourites to win the constructors’ title. With Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez struggling for much of the season and Piastri keeping pace with Norris, McLaren are just eight points behind Red Bull for the constructors’ title. It is entirely possible – and even likely – that McLaren will leave Sunday’s race in Baku with the lead in the constructors’ standings.