**McLaren’s Strategic Shift: Lando Norris to Receive Priority Support Over Oscar Piastri in Close Calls**

McLaren is ready to prioritize Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri in evenly matched scenarios. The team has stated that in situations where the decision could go either way, or if Lando requires additional backing, they will provide it.

McLaren F1 chief Andrea Stella has disclosed that in situations where a decision could go either way, the team will likely prioritize Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri.

With nine races left in the season, Norris trails Max Verstappen by 70 points in the drivers' championship standings.

Even though Verstappen maintains a solid lead, McLaren's impressive performance at the Dutch Grand Prix might be worrisome.

Norris secured a victory at Zandvoort with a margin of more than 22 seconds. Looking ahead to upcoming races in Singapore and Baku, which may pose challenges for McLaren, Verstappen's advantage could diminish considerably before Formula 1 moves to the Americas.

A recent topic of conversation has centered around McLaren possibly giving priority to Norris and designating him as their 'lead driver'.

Although Stella aims to prevent a strict pecking order, he admitted that Norris might receive preferential treatment as he aims to chase Verstappen in the championship.

He explained on Sunday at Zandvoort, with Crash.net present in the paddock, that discussions about team orders begin right from the first race. This ensures there is a clear understanding of how to handle the internal rivalry between the drivers going into each race.

Discussions regarding team orders occur regularly over the course of the season. However, these discussions need to be framed within the context of the current driver's standings. Overall, our strategy is to maintain fairness and uphold integrity in our racing practices.

"I always emphasize that no driver aspires to be the top simply due to their contract. Drivers aim to be number one based on their speed on the track. Once they demonstrate that speed, they certainly expect the team's backing in decisions that are evenly split."

Stella thinks that designating a primary and secondary driver is not beneficial for the team, and any team directives should depend on the specific circumstances.

He explained, "For instance, you might have eight successful weekends, but then you encounter a weekend where things aren't going as smoothly. In such cases, the team can provide support. However, we don't designate a number one driver just because we have nine races remaining."

"What happens next? Giving preferential treatment to the lead driver isn't a good strategy for team management. However, we review each race carefully. In scenarios that are evenly balanced or where Lando might require additional assistance, we will provide the necessary support."

"However, the team also involves Oscar. The team shouldn't engage in actions that seem unreasonable to Oscar. We're all in this together. You can't have a situation where one driver makes decisions and the other driver just goes along with it. Oscar needs to be included in the discussion and must agree with our proposed direction."

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