McLaren will use team orders at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix if required to help Lando Norris secure the Formula One drivers’ championship, the team’s chief executive, Zak Brown, has confirmed. Norris holds a 12-point lead over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with Oscar Piastri a further four points back.
Speaking at the Yas Marina circuit, Brown said the team, which had allowed its drivers to race freely all season, would prioritise the championship if circumstances demanded. “Yes, of course. We’re realistic, we want to win this drivers’ championship,” he said. “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 requires third place or better to take the title, meaning Piastri could be asked to give way to guarantee his team-mate a podium finish. Brown expressed confidence that both drivers would follow instructions. “Our drivers have always complied with team wishes just as we comply with their wishes,” he said. While Norris and Piastri said on Thursday they had not yet discussed orders with the team, principal Andrea Stella was expected to finalise clear plans after the Qatar round.
Brown rejected suggestions that the approach contradicted McLaren’s earlier principles. “I don’t think it’s a U-turn,” he said. “We’re going to start the weekend like we have the other 23, which is going in giving both drivers equal opportunity. 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.”
Verstappen, chasing a fifth consecutive title, has recovered from a 104-point deficit since the Dutch Grand Prix. His team principal, Laurent Mekies, praised the Dutchman’s consistency. “Max just never does a mistake,” he said. In practice at least, Norris appeared in control. He topped both sessions, with Piastri sitting out the first and finishing only 11th in the second due to balance issues.
