McLaren to retain equal driver treatment despite Verstappen's looming threat

McLaren boss Andrea Stella says the team will not change its approach of supporting both drivers equally in the title fight. The stance comes after a major setback in the championship, with both McLaren cars excluded from the Las Vegas Grand Prix results – a penalty that allowed Verstappen to close up again.

Ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, the Dutchman is now just 24 points behind Lando Norris and level with Oscar Piastri.

Norris had emerged as the favourite during the last two months, first closing down Piastri – who held a comfortable 34-point buffer after his team-mate’s DNF in Zandvoort – and then building his own advantage thanks to strong autumn form.

He finished four races in a row on the podium before Las Vegas, winning in Mexico and Brazil. His second place in Vegas would have given him a 30-point margin over Piastri, had their cars passed post-race inspection. Verstappen would have been 42 points behind, leaving him with little realistic chance of overturning the deficit.

But the standings changed dramatically when both papaya-coloured cars were disqualified, putting Verstappen back within one race-win of Norris and keeping him firmly in the hunt.

Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

McLaren, however, remains unmoved in its approach, despite Piastri’s recent struggles. His last podium came in Monza in early September. After losing fourth place in Vegas, he is now level on points with Verstappen – despite leading him by 104 points after Zandvoort. The Red Bull driver closed that gap in just seven race weekends, winning four races plus the Austin sprint.

Several observers have questioned whether McLaren should prioritise one driver with Verstappen closing in, even before the Vegas weekend. Earlier in the season many argued Piastri should be backed, but now Norris appears the team’s most realistic route to its first drivers’ title since 2008.

Yet McLaren has repeatedly stated it would only change its policy once one of its drivers loses mathematical contention. Earlier this month, CEO Zak Brown went as far as saying he would prefer a repeat of 2007 – when Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso lost the title to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen – than favour one driver prematurely.

Neither Piastri’s dip in form nor Verstappen’s surge has altered that position.

Notably, McLaren’s press department included a question about potential changes in driver management in its pre-Qatar interview with Stella.

“No, there is no reason to do so,” the Italian responded when asked whether anything would change “in the management of the drivers” after Vegas. “We have always said that as long as the maths does not say otherwise, we would leave it up to the two drivers to fight for their chance at the final victory, and that is how it will be in Qatar.

“Let’s not forget that if someone had told us at the start of the season that we would find ourselves in this situation with two races to go, we would have signed up for it! Now we are going to fight for the double world championship with confidence and awareness of our strength.”

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images via Getty Images

Mathematically, Norris remains the favourite, and he has his first title “match point” in Qatar: if he outscores both Piastri and Verstappen by two points this weekend – including the Saturday sprint – he will secure the championship.

Stella insists the team’s approach will remain unchanged, despite the frustration of last weekend.

“Walking around the factory this week, I was particularly impressed by how deep and strong the cultural foundation of the team was,” he said. “The reaction has been entirely focused on picking up the learning, dismissing any negativity, and making sure we come out stronger from this kind of situation. I was very glad to see how the team has become a mature group of united and forward-thinking racers.

“Episodes like this make you grow. They are painful, there is no point in hiding it, but pain is also part of our sport. There is no blame culture at McLaren, but rather a culture of constant progress and growth.

“I am sure that each and every one of us can’t wait for Friday afternoon in Qatar to arrive, so that we can give Lando and Oscar the best possible car, to enable them to be the only drivers capable of winning the world title.”