McLaren insists it’s very difficult to have a ‘number 1’ driver in the ‘real world’

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have been in sublime for McLaren in the 2024 F1 season.

McLaren insists it’s very difficult to have a ‘number 1’ driver in the ‘real world’

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (image via IMAGO)

The McLaren F1 team has found itself continuously in the headlines since the 2024 Italian Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri got the better of Lando Norris under dicey circumstances and since then, it has been heavily debated whether Andrea Stella and Co. should prioritize Norris.

The Brit has an outside shot at the drivers’ championship against Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. In light of this, pundits believe Lando Norris should be prioritized going forward and Oscar Piastri should play second fiddle.

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However, Stella does not agree with this line of thinking as he believes it is difficult to assign ‘number 1’ driver status in F1.

FS Video
I think a number one [driver] kind of works well as a headline, but I'm not sure it works very well in the real world in terms of, what does it mean? What do you do? For instance, let's say, hypothetically, that we conclude that in Turn 4 [at Monza], Lando just braked too early, and Oscar kind of naturally had the possibility to take the lead.
Andrea Stella via Racingnews365

The McLaren boss has made it quite clear that his team is not going to prioritize any driver for the time being. Moreover, he has even gone on to question the whole concept of the ‘number 1 driver’ in modern times.

Then what does it mean if you are the number one [driver]? You swap them the lap after? It's just very difficult to implement this definition in the real world.
Andrea Stella added.
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Max Verstappen and Lando Norris

Lando Norris explains how he ended up doing ‘extreme’ F1

While Andrea Stella has insisted none of the McLaren drivers will be given number 1 status, Lando Norris has recently in-detail talked about his life in F1. He has also specifically stressed what made him end up in the sport.

Lando Norris (via imago)
Lando Norris (via imago)
I think that and just being at one with the car, [that] kind of thing. I would say that’s what I fell in love with, and then F1 is just the most extreme part of it, the most extreme version of that. I fell in love with karting, then I ended up in F1.
Lando Norris via F1

Norris is one of the brightest stars on the current F1 grid. He is seen by many as a top driver and has proven it time and again by going up against the lights of Verstappen and the other top drivers. Keeping in view everything that has been discussed, the remaining eight races could see something magical from Norris in his ever-improving MCL38.

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