BAKU, Sept 13 — Oscar Piastri made clear yesterday that he will not be pulling over to help his team-mate Lando Norris at every one of the remaining eight races this year following McLaren’s decision to adopt team orders in support of the title-chasing Briton.
Speaking to reporters in Baku ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Australian said he had accepted the principle of helping Norris, to support both him and the team.
But he said he was adamant that he would remain free to race against him in certain races and circumstances.
“The main point is that it’s not purely going to be me pulling over for Lando at every single race because that’s how none of us, including Lando, want to go racing,” he said.
“Trying to go through all the scenarios is impossible and, of course, we don’t want to discuss that publicly.
“But I think the main one is if we feel that someone has done a much better job on a weekend, whatever way it is, we want that person to be rewarded.
“That’s where it becomes a little bit tricky. We need to continue discussing that.
“It’s not simply a blanket ‘I am going to be behind Lando in every single race, in every decision ever taken from here on’ because I still have things I want to achieve in the championship.
“As a team, we’re not leading the constructors’ (championship) so we need to make sure we win that... It’s very important we maintain that kind of trust.”
Team chief Andrea Stella had earlier yesterday told the BBC that McLaren would adopt team orders in certain scenarios to support Norris’s bid to overhaul three-time champion Max Verstappen’s 62-point lead in the drivers’ title race.
The Dutchman, who dominated last season for Red Bull, is without a win in six races during which his rivals have closed the performance gap.
“It needs more discussion,” said Piastri. “It’s something we have discussed a lot in the last few days and, of course, selfishly as a driver and in my own interests, team orders are not fun.
“In saying that, I realise there’s a much bigger picture here than just myself — I race for a team that’s given me my opportunity in F1 and a team that has given me the opportunity to win races within 18 months of being here.
“I have a lot of gratitude for that. Again, the bigger picture is about just more than me. We’re trying to achieve both championships, which for the team is an incredibly big thing.
“Of course, the constructors’ is one thing but if you have the opportunity to win both championships then as a team, it’s a massive objective to try and achieve that.” — AFP
