As the title battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris heats up, there will be no shortage of quotes to dissect. Only recently, Verstappen has made some interesting comments on Oscar Piastri, arguing the Australian should not let himself become a ‘number 2’ driver.
Piastri is too good to “play second fiddle”, argues Verstappen
On paper, having two strong drivers is a tremendous strength. McLaren have seen this first hand in 2024, with Norris and Piastri securing multiple victories and regular podiums.
Thanks to their evenly matched driver pairing, the Woking-based outfit have leapfrogged Red Bull in the standings. However, there are also challenges to navigate when two teammates are so evenly matched.
McLaren have struggled to balance the needs of both drivers since becoming Championship contenders. Both from a strategic and operational perspective, errors have been committed from the McLaren pit wall.
To address this, the team confirmed after the Italian GP that Norris would be given priority in the title race.
Verstappen vocal about potential McLaren hierarchy
According to Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri should ensure he avoide becoming a ‘number 2 driver’:
“For me, he’s definitely not [a number two]. And if I were him, I would never accept it,” he told motorsport.com.
“For me, it’s easy to talk, of course. Because I’ve been in Formula 1 for 10 years, and it’s Oscar’s second season – so it is always harder to put your foot down.
“But he’s just a great F1 driver, who doesn’t deserve it – to give up wins and positions and play second fiddle because he’s asked to.”
Whilst having a defined ‘number 1’ driver has certain implications, it certainly isn’t a death sentence for the person in the opposite garage.
For example, after McLaren committed to backing Norris in the title race, Piastri took victory immediately in Baku. For various reasons, the papaya outfit’s title priorities did not impact Piastri’s battle with Leclerc.
Similarly, when Norris dominated the Singapore GP, team orders played no part. As is often the case, the two teammates drove largely separate races.
Because of this, McLaren can be optimistic that team orders won’t be a regular theme in the coming races. Still, Verstappen’s comments certainly provide food for thought.
Although Piastri has said he will do the right thing for the team, it remains to be seen how McLaren will navigate this delicate situation. Not just this season, but for the 2025 campaign as well.
