‘Up to Oscar’ – Norris puts Piastri under the spotlight over key McLaren question

Conceding he would “like to think” that he would play the team game if the tables were reversed, Lando Norris says he won’t ask Oscar Piastri to support his title bid as it is “up to Oscar.”

As for Piastri, he genuinely doesn’t know what he will do until he’s in that moment.

Lando Norris: I would love it, but…

Having edged ahead of Norris at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, round five of the championship, Piastri now finds himself trailing his teammate, having lost the lead at the fifth-last race in Mexico.

Falling a point behind Norris, that deficit grew to 24 points in Sao Paulo before the Australian clawed back a few points in Qatar.

It means the McLaren teammates will line up on the grid for the title-decider in Abu Dhabi separated by 16 points.

But also – and here comes the crux of the matter – separated by Max Verstappen.

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An explosive end to Red Bull’s season has seen Verstappen clinch nine successive podium results, five of which have come from grand prix wins.

From trailing McLaren by 104 points after the Dutch Grand Prix, he’s now in the thick of it, 12 points down on Norris and four ahead of Piastri.

It begs the question: will McLaren, with its papaya rule of fairness, ask Piastri to sacrifice his own title bid to ensure the team wins the double?

Team principal Andrea Stella weighed in on that after Qatar, saying: “We will let the drivers be in condition to race each other, but above all, what’s important for us is that we are in condition to beat Verstappen with one of our two drivers.”

The question of team orders was put to Norris when he spoke ahead of the Abu Dhabi finale with the Briton, Verstappen and Piastri all called up for the FIA press conference.

“No, not been discussed,” Norris told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets.

“Just honestly, I would love it, but I don’t think I would ask it, because I don’t know… I don’t know.

“It is up to Oscar if he would allow it. I don’t think it’s necessarily down to me.

“It’s the same if it’s the other way around. Would I be willing to or not?

“Personally, I think I would, just because I feel like I’m always like that and that’s just how I am.

“But it’s not really up to me, and I’m not going to ask it, I don’t want to ask it, because I don’t think it’s necessarily a fair question.

“At the same time, if that’s how it ends and Max wins, then, well, that’s it. Congrats to him and look forward to next year.

“Doesn’t change anything. Doesn’t change my life. So he will deserve it over us.”

Turning the question to Piastri as the title trio spoke.

“It’s not something that we’ve discussed,” he said. “Until I know what’s expected, I don’t really have an answer until I know what is expected of me.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher and Mat Coch

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