Will Piastri take a 'wingman role' for Norris? The Australian responds
F1 News
McLaren currently sits second in the World Constructors Championship. With Lando Norris second, they seem like the team most likely to take Red Bull's titles away from them. After the team order drama in Hungary for the Woking-based team, Piastri was asked ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix whether the team would back Norris in future races and this was his response.
McLaren to prioritise Norris? Not according to Piastri!
Speaking to GPblog and others in Zandvoort, Piastri admitted he believes McLaren won't prioritise a Norris title fight, as their priority lies elsewhere. "The first target is to win the constructors championship. If we're closing the gap in the constructors, there's probably a good chance that we're both closing it in the drivers’ as well. I'm not that far behind Lando in the standings either," the Australian admitted.
"Of course, if the call comes later in the year and it's a realistic chop, then I'll do my part for the team. But I think at the moment the gap is pretty big for both of us, so we'll focus on just trying to do the best job we can every week and see where we end up a bit later in the year."
Piastri won his first F1 race in Hungary after the controversial decision by McLaren to pit Norris first led to the team order drama. The Australian currently sits in fourth in the driver's standings, 32 points behind his more experienced teammate in second.
Despite being over 100 points behind leader Max Verstappen, Piastri still hasn't conceded his title chances. "Mathematically, it's still not impossible for me to win the drivers’. Of course, I'm not in awe, I know it's going to be a mammoth task. For me, the biggest thing is just trying to maximise every weekend that gives the team the most opportunities for the constructors, and gives me the most opportunities for whatever occurs in the drivers’ standings. I'll just try and make sure I can if there's an opportunity to put myself in a chance to win the drivers' standings, that I'll try my best to make sure."
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