Lando Norris is chasing down Max Verstappen in the Formula 1 world championship but the Briton's McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri has also proven himself capable of challenging the best
Max Verstappen has revealed that he would not aid Lando Norris' world title bid by accepting being McLaren's secondary driver, were he in Oscar Piastri's position.
Dutch world champions Verstappen leads the drivers' championship once again after taking seven wins and 11 podium places but has seen results dwindle over the course of the season. That has seen Norris rise to the fore and the British racer now only sits 52 points behind with six races remaning.
Norris stood atop the podium last time out in Singapore also claimed victory in Netherlands, while team-mate Piastri tasted success in Azerbaijan to ensure McLaren took the win in three of the last four races. At Monza, Piastri took second, while Norris took third.
Verstappen has not earned a win since the Spanish Grand Prix in June. With an increasing chance of overhauling the 27-year-old Red Bull driver's lead it is said McLaren to have decided to give Norris priority on-track when the situation calls for it.
Piastri was not required to give up position at Monza when he finished one place ahead of his team-mate but as the tensions ramps up, he could now be pushed into a supporting role. That is not something Verstappen would accept, and he believes Piastri's talent should mean he doesn't either..
"For me he's definitely not a [number two driver] and if I was him I would never accept it," Verstappen told Autosport. "For me it's easy to talk, of course, because I've been in Formula 1 for 10 years and it's Oscar's second season, so it is always harder to put your foot down.
"But he's just a great F1 driver who doesn't deserve it to give up wins and positions and play second fiddle because he's asked to."
While it could easily be perceived that Verstappen is trying to add some needle to the relationship of his rivals, Norris appears unafraid to fight for success in the final weeks of the season. The Briton does not want to rob Piastri of victories and simply wants to prove he is the best.
"If a driver is doing better than me and performing, I need to do a better job, so I wouldn't want to take that away from someone," Norris said.
"I also don't want to be given a championship. Yes, it would be great to have a championship, and on the short term you feel amazing, but I don't think you'd be proud of that in the long run.
"I want to win it by beating Max, beating my competitors, and proving that I'm the best on track."
Piastri said in September he was happy to come to agreement with his team however. The Australian racer said: "It still needs some more discussion, but the main point is it's not me going to be pulling over for Lando every single race because none of us, including Lando, wants to go racing in that way.
"Selfishly, as a driver, I have my own interests and team orders are not that fun. But in saying that I realise there is a big bigger picture here than just myself. It's not just about me and I am happy to play a supporting role at this point of the season."
- Scott Trotter, Sports Writer
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