McLaren chief executive Zak Brown has confirmed that the team will use team orders for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri if necessary to secure the Formula One drivers' championship in Sunday's season finale in Abu Dhabi. With Max Verstappen trailing Norris by 12 points, the Dutchman still has a chance to take the title, while Piastri is a further four points back. After allowing their drivers to race freely all season, Brown acknowledged that circumstances may require a change in approach.
“Yes, of course. We’re realistic, we want to win this drivers’ championship,” Brown said at the Yas Marina circuit. “If we get into the race and it’s becoming pretty clear that one has a chance and the other doesn’t, we’re going to do what we can to win. It would be crazy not to.” Norris needs at least a third-place finish to secure his first championship, and the most likely scenario for team orders would involve Piastri yielding a position to guarantee Norris a podium spot if Verstappen leads.
Brown expressed confidence that both drivers would comply with any instruction. “Our drivers have always complied with team wishes just as we comply with their wishes,” he said. “So I’ve got no doubt either of our drivers will continue to race, as they’ve done brilliantly, in the best interests of the team.” On Thursday, Norris and Piastri said they had not yet discussed orders with the team, but team principal Andrea Stella indicated after the Qatar Grand Prix that clear plans would be agreed upon.
Brown denied that using team orders represented a U-turn on McLaren’s principles. “We’re going to start the weekend like we have the other 23, which is going in giving both drivers equal opportunity,” he said. “We’ll use common sense. We’re not going to throw away a drivers’ championship over a sixth and a seventh place, a third and a fourth place, a fifth and a sixth place, if one of our drivers doesn’t have the opportunity.”
Norris remains favourite, but Verstappen has recovered from a 104-point deficit and is seeking his fourth consecutive title. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies praised Verstappen’s consistency. “Max just never does a mistake,” he said. “He keeps surprising us every day. Sometimes the car is great, sometimes it’s a touch less great, and he doesn’t miss a start, he doesn’t miss tyre management, he doesn’t miss an overtake.”
Norris topped both practice sessions on Friday, leading Verstappen by three-tenths of a second in the second session. Piastri, who sat out first practice for a mandatory young driver session, finished only 11th in the second session due to balance issues.
