McLaren’s Driver One Dilemma
This season has been nothing short of entertaining, with each week bringing new dramas in the world of Formula One. From the fall of Red Bull to Carlos Sainz contract dilemma, to Perez and his underperformance, we have another unique situation to add to this ever growing list- Who is McLaren's driver number one, Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris? The obvious answer to this question would be Lando Norris, given that he is higher in the drivers' championship. However, with a deeper look into the situation, you’ll find that there is more to the matter than what meets the eye.
McLaren have capitalized on their mid season upgrades, having come out as the strongest team after the summer break. At the time of writing, McLaren is only eight points behind Red Bull in the constructors' championship. In the drivers' championship, Lando Norris sits in second place with only a 62 point gap deficit behind Max Verstappen. The season is far from over, and on paper, Lando Norris can still win the drivers' championship. With that being said, it’s time to start asking the question, will McLaren prioritize Lando as the driver one to better his chances at the championship? Let’s break it down.
Zak Brown, Team Principal of McLaren, has yet to state who is the number one driver on the team, and this has caused some speculation in the media over a potential “clause” in Piastri’s contract about this title being mentioned, hence why Zak Brown has not addressed the concern. However, this idea is mere speculation, and if we wanted to take a proper look, it comes down to racing. Both Piastri and Norris have performed exceptionally well this season, but I want to look at Piastri’s stats. In the Austrian Grand Prix, Piastri started P7 and finished P2, then the British Grand Prix, he started P5 and ended P4, followed by Hungary where he brought home his first win after starting P2. In Belgium, he started P6 and ended P2, then took a top five finish in both the Dutch and Italian Grand Prix, so consistency is there with Piastri’s performance. That said, being labeled as a No. 2 driver could present a physical disadvantage to Piastri, making him less of a focus in a team that performs consistently.
To add to this, Lando has performed equally as well, making the dilemma a serious issue that will need to be addressed at McLaren. At some point, the team will have to decide whether they believe Lando can win the drivers' championship and shift focus on making that goal achievable. At the moment, with both drivers performing well, and the gap between the first and second place shrinking in both the drivers and constructors' championship, it only makes sense to prioritize the constructors then focus on the drivers' championship. If the gap can shrink in the next two races between Lando and Verstappen, then it only makes sense to give that fighting chance to Lando. As of now, the decision is quiet at McLaren and with lots of racing left this season, don’t expect any answer to the dilemma soon. The best we can ask for is to let them race and see what happens.
