Stella outlines what Norris must do to secure number one status at McLaren
F1 News
14 down, 10 to go. As the Formula 1 season heads into the second half of the season, discussions around team dynamics at McLaren have intensified. Rather than pre-selecting a lead driver, team boss Andrea Stella's focus has been on collective decision-making within the team. The Italian believes that number one status in the team can be achieved by Lando Norris, but must also fit into his team's 'style', especially when making strategic choices that could influence the pursuit of the World Championship.
Lando Norris rather reluctantly let Oscar Piastri through at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July, reinforcing Stella's position that the team has no No. 1 driver. Both have won their maiden Grand Prix this season and are separated by just 32 points. McLaren's team boss is certain that open communication with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri can propel the team higher throughout the rest of the season.
Stella: Having a No.1 driver is 'not a good way to approach racing'
"I think when it comes to these conversations about being the number one, I don't think that's a good way of approaching racing. For us, we'd rather approach racing from fairness, and integrity, and then see what comes, what sheds from this kind of approach," Stella began in Friday's team boss press conference. "It's ten races to go. I think for Lando to realistically be in condition to chase the World Championship, he needs to keep performing at a very high level. He needs to keep being fast. And then you gain your ranks on track. And if you gain your ranks, if you gain your merits on track by being fast, by being competitive, then we will evaluate, always led by integrity and fairness," he explained.
Stella believes in open and honest communication with his drivers. The Italian explains how decisions can be made by his team at short notice, depending on the context. "Whether on some occasions we need the team to take a certain direction in a 50-50 decision, or if we want to have a conversation with Oscar and say, like, ‘Oscar, would you be available to do this to support Lando chasing the World Championship?’, but it will always have to be a conversation before the race. Nobody should be surprised," the McLaren team principal revealed.
Stella praises McLaren's 'style'
Other teams have clear number one and two drivers, which respectively works for them. Max Verstappen has never truly been challenged by Sergio Perez at Red Bull, for example, which has made his journey to three consecutive world titles much smoother. "We all should be in agreement because ultimately we chase and we are in the quest for a driver's World Championship as a team. There's nobody that goes his own way, and then the others will have to follow. So that's our style, which is I don't think it can be necessarily and simply summarised in like, we elect a number one, and then we work accordingly. I would like to keep this more articulated as a team, and then be more on a case-by-case situation." Stella concluded.
Therefore, does the fluid 'style' of the papaya team function? It led to a confusing nightmare in Hungary, but maybe transparency is what the team need in order to push for both world championships.
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