Andrea Stella: “We want to try our luck in the championship with Lando”
The Italian Grand Prix has raised many questions about McLaren's ambitions, which seems to prioritize the Constructors' Championship over the Drivers' Championship. However, Andrea Stella explained that team orders could be introduced between its two drivers to try to help Lando Norris win.
McLaren has once again gotten closer to Red Bull this weekend in Monza. However, the Woking team once again saw a victory slip away from them. It all played out at the start when the two McLarens, then first and second, fought for the lead with Piastri overtaking his teammate at turn 4, forcing Norris to slow down to take the turn well, allowing Leclerc to also take the advantage over the Briton.
With now a Ferrari in between, Zak Brown’s team strategy was shaken as it could no longer manage its two drivers, Norris having to attack to catch up with Leclerc while Piastri, the leader, was at the mercy of the Monegasque’s Ferrari in terms of strategy. An element that was indeed crucial towards the end of the race when McLaren gave Leclerc the opportunity to make only one pit stop while deciding to pit both its drivers.
Important choices to make for McLaren
After the race, Andrea Stella wanted to come back to the situation between the two drivers, who had the right to fight on track this weekend, Zak Brown invoking the “Papaya Rules”. Nevertheless, the former race engineer of Fernando Alonso is aware that strategic decisions will have to be made to maximize the chances of the title, especially on the Australian side. Stella suggested that the team could support Norris over Piastri at the end of the season to allow Norris to fight for the title against Verstappen.
« We want to try our luck in the championship with Lando. I think that if the things we say make sense, following the principles I mentioned before, like fairness, because it’s just as fair as supporting your teammate, winning the championship for the team is a big boost »,” Stella explained to the press, including to PlanetF1.com. After repeatedly announcing that the team had « two number one drivers this season », the Italian seems to be retracting his statements due to the importance of the situation, with Lando Norris being the closest to Verstappen in the championship with 62 points behind the Dutchman, while Piastri is 44 points behind his teammate and there are now only eight rounds left before the end of the season.
The team asks Piastri to support Norris
The support of the winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix could therefore be crucial to help McLaren compete with Red Bull, as the Woking team is only eight points behind the Austrian firm in the constructors’ standings. For Andrea Stella, the future belongs to Oscar Piastri. The Australian is therefore in a difficult position, torn between playing his own hand and hoping for poor results for Norris and Verstappen to win the championship, or supporting the team and Norris in his quest for the title.
Stella also added that in these circumstances, the “Papaya Rules” mentioned by Zak Brown during the Italian Grand Prix could be modified according to the team’s needs. Asserting a desire for fairness within McLaren, Andrea Stella and the other officials will nevertheless have to make important choices in an attempt to win both championships, including the implementation, in the following races, of team orders.
