Lando Norris humorously replied to being asked if he was concerned
McLaren would prioritise Oscar Piastri over him to ensure winning
the F1 drivers' championship this season. Max Verstappen's
re-emergence as an — albeit distant — title contender has put the
papaya team-mates under unexpected pressure as the campaign heads
to its conclusion. Norris trails the Australian by 25 points, but
Verstappen's recent run of form has reenergised the sentiment that
he could be a dark horse in pursuit of a fifth consecutive crown.
Upgrades to the Red Bull RB21 have seen it close the performance
gap to the dominant McLaren MCL39, and the 28-year-old has
immediately taken advantage. Victories in Monza and Baku have
slashed the Dutchman's deficit to Piastri in the standings from 104
points to 69 with seven rounds remaining. He is 44 points behind
Norris. However, the Woking-based squad has shown zero interest in
backing either one of its drivers, despite the Red Bull driver
closing in. Team principal Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown have
long championed their 'two number one drivers' stance and
reluctantly turned to team orders last year as Norris tried to
close the gap to Verstappen in the title fight. This year, any team
orders invoked have been to ensure parity between the McLaren
drivers, and there is no indication that the revived threat of
Verstappen will change that approach. So when asked ahead of the
Singapore Grand Prix if he felt McLaren would have to prioritise
one driver over the other to get the drivers' championship over the
line, and if he was "concerned" that could be him, he took the
opportunity to light-heartedly dismiss any such notion. Speaking to
media, including RacingNews365 , Norris sarcastically replied: "I'm
very concerned, yup. "Very worried about it. Yeah, I'm scared,
frankly, so I was happy you asked that, actually… um, no!" Do you
think McLaren should back one driver to fend off the title threat
of Max Verstappen? Let us know by voting below in the latest poll
by RacingNews365 .
McLaren would prioritise Oscar Piastri over him to ensure winning
the F1 drivers' championship this season. Max Verstappen's
re-emergence as an — albeit distant — title contender has put the
papaya team-mates under unexpected pressure as the campaign heads
to its conclusion. Norris trails the Australian by 25 points, but
Verstappen's recent run of form has reenergised the sentiment that
he could be a dark horse in pursuit of a fifth consecutive crown.
Upgrades to the Red Bull RB21 have seen it close the performance
gap to the dominant McLaren MCL39, and the 28-year-old has
immediately taken advantage. Victories in Monza and Baku have
slashed the Dutchman's deficit to Piastri in the standings from 104
points to 69 with seven rounds remaining. He is 44 points behind
Norris. However, the Woking-based squad has shown zero interest in
backing either one of its drivers, despite the Red Bull driver
closing in. Team principal Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown have
long championed their 'two number one drivers' stance and
reluctantly turned to team orders last year as Norris tried to
close the gap to Verstappen in the title fight. This year, any team
orders invoked have been to ensure parity between the McLaren
drivers, and there is no indication that the revived threat of
Verstappen will change that approach. So when asked ahead of the
Singapore Grand Prix if he felt McLaren would have to prioritise
one driver over the other to get the drivers' championship over the
line, and if he was "concerned" that could be him, he took the
opportunity to light-heartedly dismiss any such notion. Speaking to
media, including RacingNews365 , Norris sarcastically replied: "I'm
very concerned, yup. "Very worried about it. Yeah, I'm scared,
frankly, so I was happy you asked that, actually… um, no!" Do you
think McLaren should back one driver to fend off the title threat
of Max Verstappen? Let us know by voting below in the latest poll
by RacingNews365 .
The post Lando Norris issues hilarious response to McLaren 'concern' over Max Verstappen appeared first on RacingNews365.