Verstappen on McLaren's orders: 'Piastri not the type to be a number two'
F1 News
Max Verstappen already revealed that a fourth-world driver's title might be unrealistic as Red Bull continues to struggle with its RB20. McLaren's decision to introduce team orders to prevent Lando Norris from losing unnecessary points may affect the Dutchman, but he admits that he's not worried at all, he told GPblog.and others in Baku.
Norris will be prioritised, was McLaren's message ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend. In other words, Oscar Piastri must play a supporting role in the coming races, at times prioritising his teammate in the fight for the title. "I am not disappointed," Verstappen said about McLaren's move.
Verstappen: 'McLaren can do what they want, it's not my problem'
"At the end of the day, of course, they do what they want. It's not my problem. I have my own problems at the moment. Of course, from Oscar's side, he's closer to Lando than Lando is to me in the Championship. But it's something that they have to deal with," said Verstappen. Piastri is 44 points behind Norris and sits in fourth, whilst Norris sits 62 points behind Verstappen with eight races to go.
"They've never really been that far apart anyway, in the championship as well," Verstappen continued. "Also, from Oscar's side, you come in as a number one driver, both of them. I don't think Oscar is the type of driver that needs to be labelled as number two anyway," the Dutchman stated.
Verstappen responds to Norris: 'That is not happening'
Lando Norris still assumed that Verstappen was the favourite for the championship, given his lead, admitting that he would rather be in Verstappen's position than his own. "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter because that is not happening," said Verstappen. "It's just that I would like us to just be a little bit more competitive. That's all. That's what we're working on." The three-time world champion concluded.
In any case, Red Bull wants to do better in Baku than in Monza. Fearing that Red Bull will again be the fourth-placed team, Verstappen has no fear heading into the weekend. "Not worried. We try to just be better than what we delivered in Monza." The Dutchman concluded.
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This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen.