Lando Norris has been told by Oscar Piastri that he will not help his McLaren team-mate fend off Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to win the world championship.
Norris heads both Verstappen and Piastri by 24 points with 58 to play for across the final two rounds, starting at this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
Verstappen had been 104 points off the championship pace but his victory in Las Vegas last Saturday – his fourth in the eight races staged since the summer break – coupled with Norris’ disqualification for running an illegal car, puts the four-time world champion firmly in the hunt as the season reaches its climax.
Piastri, who was also thrown out of the Sin City race, remains in title contention, but he is struggling for form and has not finished ahead of Norris since the Dutch Grand Prix on the final day of August.
However, when asked if an internal discussion had been held as to whether the Australian would be prepared to play the team game and assist Norris land his maiden world crown, Piastri said: “We’ve had a very brief discussion on it and the answer is ‘no’.
“I’m still equal on points with Max and I’ve got a decent shot of still winning it if things go my way, and that’s how we’ll play it.”
After originally finishing second in Las Vegas, Norris held a 30-point advantage over Piastri and was 42 points clear of Verstappen.
However, his disqualification from the result, after the skid block underneath his McLaren breached the regulations by just 0.12mm, has changed the complexion of the title race.
But, despite the setback, the British driver will still be crowned champion on Sunday – with a round to spare ahead of next week’s concluding contest in Abu Dhabi – if he outscores both Verstappen and Piastri by two points across this weekend with a sprint race to be staged a day earlier.
“The gap (to Piastri) before Las Vegas was 24 points and it is still 24, so nothing needs to change,” said Norris.
“We have treated Max as a threat all year, even when he was further behind in the championship.
“Every briefing before every race, we treated him as a threat because we know what Max and Red Bull are capable of. We expect Red Bull to be quick here and next weekend, too. Nothing needs to change from anyone’s side.
“Of course, it hurt (to be disqualified in Las Vegas) because there is a lot of effort that goes into a weekend, and it made all that effort disappear very quickly. Everyone at McLaren feels let down, and we are disappointed, but I found it easy to move on.”
