Nico Rosberg Criticizes McLaren’s Equal Driver Policy: ‘Hurting Lando Norris’ in Championship Battle

Nico Rosberg’s Opinion on the McLaren Team Orders Controversy

Nico Rosberg Evaluates the Battle Between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

Nico Rosberg claims that McLaren’s choice to allow their drivers to compete freely is "damaging" Lando Norris.

However, he emphasized that Charles Leclerc's victory for Ferrari at the F1 Italian Grand Prix wasn't necessarily due to a choice made by McLaren's leaders.

Norris began the race in the lead position but was quickly passed by his teammate, Oscar Piastri, on the initial lap, placing him at a disadvantage. He was unable to regain his position and lost the opportunity to significantly impact Max Verstappen's standing in the drivers' championship.

Former Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg provided his insights on McLaren's strategy of treating both drivers equally during an analysis for Sky Sports.

“Papaya sets the standard in racing, but they compete with integrity,” stated Rosberg.

"We've been informed that Lando believed Oscar exceeded acceptable boundaries during their duel at Turn 4. In his view, it wasn't a fair contest."

Intense debates are expected to take place inside the McLaren motorhome.

“It’s quite challenging to handle. It’s a delicate balance. Even though you set those guidelines, did Oscar exceed the boundaries defined by the Papaya rules?

In my opinion, Oscar performed exceptionally well. He vacated the area and executed his tasks brilliantly.

Andrea Stella, the current team principal of McLaren, was employed at Ferrari during the period when Michael Schumacher was the clear top driver.

However, Rosberg asserts that McLaren's intriguing approach to treating both drivers equally is not his doing.

"The philosophy originates from the highest level, specifically from Zak Brown," he stated.

"At McLaren, we maintain two top-tier drivers, which is a fundamental principle of our team’s long-standing tradition. Andrea is currently implementing this strategy."

"They believed they had a chance at victory until the final moments."

"The team allowed their drivers to compete against each other, making the race thrilling and enjoyable. Ultimately, Ferrari took a gamble with their strategy and surprised everyone."

The situation with Lando and the drivers' championship is complex. The team has chosen to treat both drivers as equals rather than prioritizing Lando. While this is the decision they've made, it is clearly affecting Lando negatively.

Are McLaren hesitant to take risks?

Norris trails Verstappen by 62 points, even though Verstappen is at the top of the drivers’ standings despite going through a rough patch.

Karun Chandhok mentioned that to compete in the drivers' championship, they must ensure Lando receives all the points available.

"Conversely, allowing them to compete freely has benefited Oscar. He performed excellently, being the quickest McLaren driver in today's race."

"In the long run, it is more advantageous to have Oscar as an ally too."

Rosberg commented that Lando is in excellent form, performing admirably behind the wheel and brimming with confidence.

"It's encouraging that he senses 'I have an opportunity'. He remains the long shot."

"Lando made an error at Turn 4. Positioned on the inside and in control, he was overly cautious."

Is McLaren overly cautious when it comes to taking risks?

Rosberg responded, "Being too cautious? That's hard to determine. They were unexpectedly caught off guard today. It was unpredictable that Ferrari's strategy would succeed. I wouldn't say that about today's performance."

“Are they really risk averse? Their drivers were allowed to go all out, racing aggressively side by side. Lando came close to losing control while dueling with Oscar.”

Rosberg asserted that the McLaren drivers' skirmish on the first lap wasn't what prevented them from winning the race.

"Not exactly. Oscar had an amazing performance. They maximized the potential of the car today," he commented.

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