McLaren question value behind Norris Piastri ‘headline’ decision

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has questioned the need to introduce a "headline" number one driver, doubting it would work in the "real world". 

McLaren has opted against labelling Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri as its lead driver this season, with team orders also rarely used. 

Except for the Hungarian Grand Prix where Norris was instructed to return the race lead to Piastri, the pair have been allowed to race under 'papaya rules'. 

The Woking-based outfit has faced criticism for not making Norris its lead driver, with points lost in Hungary and, most notably, Monza. 

Piastri overtook Norris at the fourth corner with an aggressive move for the lead of the Italian Grand Prix on the opening lap, a move which demoted the Briton from first to third and led to a review of 'papaya rules'. 

Despite the incident not involving contact, a one-two was lost by McLaren, which could be crucial in its fight with Red Bull for the title. 

This has been recognised, although Stella still does not see the need for labelling either Norris or Piastri as 'number one'. 

"I think a number one [driver] kind of works well as a headline, but I'm not sure it works very well in the real world in terms of, what does it mean? What do you do?" Stella told select media including RacingNews365. 

"For instance, let's say, hypothetically, that we conclude that in Turn 4 [at Monza], Lando just braked too early, and Oscar kind of naturally had the possibility to take the lead. 

"Then what does it mean if you are the number one [driver]? You swap them the lap after? It's just very difficult to implement this definition in the real world."

Norris' McLaren 'weapon'

Stella has stressed throughout the current campaign that Norris and Piastri working together is the key in the fight for the constructors' championship. 

McLaren has often downplayed that it does now have the strongest package on the grid, which is resulting in more opportunities for victory. 

The team's Monza performance, however, has proven to Stella the MCL38 is very competitive across all circuits. 

Because of this, the outfit's boss has recognised that Norris could still beat Max Verstappen to the drivers' title.

"I think it's better to keep working as a team, get the opinion of both drivers and then work together to try and pursue this objective in both championships because it now looks like the drivers' championship is definitely a possibility,"  remarked Stella.

"We were a little cautious, even before Monza. But I think now we see that McLaren can compete in circuits where last year we were not competitive.

"So I think it's a very competitive package overall, and this could be a very important weapon for Lando in particular, in the quest for the championship."