Lando Norris has stated that he does not expect to be gifted victories by his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, and would not want to win a Formula One world championship in such a manner. This comes after the team confirmed they would prioritise support for the British driver in his pursuit of Max Verstappen's title lead.
Norris trails Red Bull's Verstappen by 62 points with eight races remaining, making him the Dutchman's primary challenger. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella recently acknowledged the team would bias their support towards Norris, though he emphasised they would uphold their principles of sportsmanship.
Speaking before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Norris was clear that those principles would not involve Piastri surrendering race wins. 'I don't want to be given a championship,' said the 24-year-old. 'I want to win it by fighting Max, beating Max and my competitors, and being the best driver on track.'
The team orders issue came to a head at Monza, where Piastri overtook Norris at the start, leaving Norris third while Charles Leclerc won. McLaren did not swap positions, but after Verstappen finished sixth, the team reviewed their stance. Norris explained in Baku that while lower positions might be swapped, if Piastri earns a win, he deserves it.
Norris insisted the team are not designating a number one and two driver, but acknowledged a bias towards helping him. Piastri, in his second F1 season, accepted he would play a supporting role, stating, 'It's not just about me and I am happy to play a supporting role at this point of the season.' He added that neither he nor Norris wants a championship won by simply pulling over.
McLaren remain focused on maximising points for both drivers, trailing Red Bull by only eight points in the constructors' championship as they aim for their first team title since 1998.
