McLaren to back Norris over Piastri in title race, says team boss

McLaren will focus on supporting Lando Norris over teammate Oscar Piastri in their pursuit of both Formula 1 world championships this season. However, team principal Andrea Stella emphasized that any measures taken to back Norris in the drivers’ title fight would align with the team’s commitment to sportsmanship and fairness.

Stella told BBC Sport: “The overall concept is we are incredibly determined to win, but we want to win in the right way.”

Norris enters this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix trailing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 62 points in the drivers’ standings, with a maximum of 232 points still up for grabs. Piastri sits fourth in the championship, 86 points behind Verstappen.

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Stella explained that while the team will lean towards supporting Norris, it will not come at the expense of McLaren’s core values. “We [will] bias our support to Lando but we want to do it without too much compromise on our principles,” he said.

“Our principles are that the team interest always comes first. Sportsmanship for us is important in the overall way we go racing. And then we want to be fair to both drivers.”