Rosberg digs in to McLaren's ethos: 'It's not in their DNA to do that'
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Nico Rosberg hasn't held back in his recent criticism of McLaren's decision to race with two 'number one drivers'. Lando Norris has been gaining ground on Max Verstappen's championship lead in recent races. The gap now sits at 62 points, but there was an opportunity for the papaya team to cut into that lead even further in Monza on Sunday. The 2016 world champion believes that now is the time McLaren must implement team orders, explaining why they have yet to do it.
At the 'temple of speed', Oscar Piastri passed his teammate on the first lap, managing to finish in front of him in second place after both McLarens were trumped by Ferrari's home hero Charles Leclerc's one-stop strategy. If Piastri had let Norris through, for example, the Brit would've gained an extra three points on Verstappen in the title race, which would've cut the gap to 59 points. In Formula 1, every point matters.
Rosberg: McLaren are in an 'unexpected' position
Speaking on the Sky Sports podcast, the German was asked why McLaren is yet to have clear number one and two drivers. "First of all, the situation is totally unexpected to them, and their DNA of going racing has been, we go racing with two number ones, and both have equal opportunity. They certainly did not see this situation coming at all. It's a big learning process for them and big, big requirement to think a lot about it and see what the best approach is," Rosberg began.
"It goes against their DNA because their DNA is two number one drivers, and everybody has the same opportunity," Rosberg stated. After Monza, Oscar Piastri sits 44 points behind Norris with eight races to go. Realistically, Norris is the only driver with a serious chance of challenging Max Verstappen for the world title. Whether or not McLaren will begin to prioritise Norris over the remainder of the season remains to be seen.
Rosberg: 'McLaren are the absolute constructors favourites'
The outspoken champion believes that it was too early for McLaren to even think about the world title earlier in the season after achieving their first victory at the Miami Grand Prix. Now, the team must have the championship at the front of their minds. "Perhaps that was a bit early (Miami) because, at that point, no one would have thought that Lando (Or McLaren) had a real chance at the championship or even the constructor's championship, so I think that was a bit early, but certainly now it's so clear. First of all, with the constructor's championship, they are the absolute favourites now, which is huge, and even the driver's championship is a real possibility now," the 2016 world champion continued.
"Both Andrea (Stella) and also Zak (Brown) clearly are starting to think strongly about it. Also, in our post-race interview, they acknowledged that they gave the win this weekend to Ferrari by allowing their drivers to race potentially, it's quite possible." Rosberg concluded.
McLaren sits in a precarious position. Will they implement team orders to prioritise Norris' title charge, or will the 'papaya rules' continue?
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