McLaren Favors Norris for Championship Battle

McLaren has decided to favor Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri in the remaining eight races of the 2024 F1 season to boost Norris' chances of winning the drivers' championship. Norris, currently 62 points behind Max Verstappen, has the momentum with McLaren emerging as the fastest team, while Red Bull struggles. Andrea Stella, McLaren's team principal, emphasized that while there will be a bias towards Norris, the team aims to maintain sportsmanship and fairness. Despite this, Norris expressed that he wants to win the title on merit and not through excessive team orders. Piastri has agreed to support Norris but stated that giving up a race win is not set in stone and will be evaluated on a race-by-race basis. McLaren's strategy shift follows internal reviews and discussions after the Italian GP where Piastri’s aggressive move cost Norris points.