F1 News

Lando Norris assesses McLaren backing after F1 Italian Grand Prix

Norris warns "time is going away slowly" without McLaren backing

1 September at 16:46
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  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

Lando Norris had the chance to take a bigger chunk out of Max Verstappen's world championship lead but couldn't fully capitalise. He gained eight points, but from pole position, it could've been much more. He lost the lead on the opening lap as his teammate Oscar Piastri made an aggressive move.

With a front-row lockout, McLaren could've completed some tactical driving to allow Norris to take the win and gain more on Max Verstappen. But Piastri's move made it harder for Norris and let Charles Leclerc through. Team orders at McLaren has been debated over recent races, with the team giving a race win to Piastri in Hungary.

Does Norris want to be fully backed by McLaren?

Piastri is more than 100 points behind with eight races remaining in the 2024 Formula 1 season, whereas Norris is 62 points behind. The Brit has a slim chance, but problems at Red Bull could increase that chance.

"I would love it, but it's not up to me. It's tough. As any driver, you don't want it. You don't want it to be played that way. It's a tough one. I wouldn't say we're running out of time, but time is going away slowly," Norris said, warning McLaren.

"I still believe we can do it [win the title], the pace is great. I believe we had close to, if not the best car today. It's not for me to decide. It's for the team. We're working together well. When you're fighting for the world championship, you want every little thing. I am doing everything I can. The best way is to win a race, and I didn't do that today because of some silly things," Norris added.

Andrea Stella later confirmed to GPblog and others that McLaren will now fully back Norris with eight races remaining. Formula 1 returns with a double at Baku and Singapore.