Ex-F1 champion demands McLaren to make ‘logical’ decision to back Lando Norris in title tight

Former F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen asserted that McLaren needed to support Lando Norris in the title fight straightaway.

Ex-F1 champion demands McLaren to make ‘logical’ decision to back Lando Norris in title tight

Oscar Piastri, Andrea Stella, and Lando Norris (Via: Imago)

McLaren arguably have the fastest car in Formula 1 at the moment. This has allowed Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to consistently outperform Max Verstappen in the past few races. However, the Woking-based squad is yet to make a call on prioritizing one driver in this fight. Now, former F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen has urged the British squad to make this call as soon as possible.

Lando Norris currently trails behind Max Verstappen by 62 points in the standings. McLaren CEO Zak Brown insisted that the team had always had two number 1 drivers. Although, Andrea Stella admitted that McLaren was looking into potentially backing Norris.

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Mika Hakkinen gave a clear verdict regarding the situation at Woking. The Finn claimed that he would’ve prioritized Norris straightaway as it would be the ‘logical’ choice. Although, Hakkinen admitted McLaren has never traditionally taken such a step in the past.

I would make the decision [to favor Norris] straight away. It’s logical at this point. It hasn’t traditionally been McLaren’s policy, but the team has to find a consensus.
Mika Hakkinen told Ilta Sanomat

Mika Hakkinen asserts the fastest driver ‘gets all the credit’

Norris and Piastri have been closely matched this season. However, the Briton has had the edge over his teammate with two races wins. Lando Norris is also believed to be the main contender against Verstappen. Mika Hakkinen pointed out that in Formula 1, the fastest guy must get all the credit and the ‘other’ driver simply follows team orders.

Lando Norris (via imago)
Lando Norris (via imago)
If you look coldly at the numbers, it’s clear: the fastest driver gets all the credit, and the other driver does what he’s told.
Mika Hakkinen stated

Certainly, McLaren needs to make a call quickly to back Norris in the championship battle. The British driver needs every point he can to have a chance of winning the title. As such, fans would hope that the Woking-based squad comes to a consensus regarding its support towards Lando Norris.

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