McLaren Team Orders Revealed For Dutch GP As Norris and Piastri Ready To Fight

Alex Harrington | Aug 24, 2024

May 3, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; McLaren driver Lando Norris (4) talks with the media after F1 Sprint Qualifying at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Lando Norris secured pole position this Saturday of the Dutch Grand Prix, setting the stage for a strong fight against his teammate Oscar Piastri, who will start from third with Max Verstappen sandwiched between the two. In the post-qualifying conference, the drivers have revealed that they are free to race.

The qualifying session had plenty to offer. Starting off under uncertain skies with the lingering threat of rain, Nico Hulkenberg was the first on track, setting the pace for what would end up being a dramatic session.

The early lead by Lewis Hamilton in Q1 did not hold through with the 7-time champion qualifying 12th by the end of the day. The newly upgraded McLarens finished P1 and P2, with Red Bull's Verstappen separating the two.

The session was not without its challenges. George Russell faced significant issues with grip. Meanwhile, Logan Sargeant’s earlier crash in FP3 echoed through Williams' efforts as they scrambled to ready his car, ultimately leading to him setting no time in qualifying.

Norris, aware of his inconsistent starts in past races, expressed confidence in his recent efforts to improve,

"I've put in a good amount of work to try and make my starts a bit better. And tomorrow's a new day." His Australian teammate however, is poised to mount a challenge from the second row.

"If I can get myself into the lead, then that works well for me. But, yeah, I mean, I think the start is always a good opportunity to make up ground if you can.

"Obviously I want to finish as high as I can. And, yeah, if I can get into second, then obviously that makes life a little bit more straightforward for the team. But... I mean, I'm not going to do anything specific to try and make that happen. I want to try and win the race myself. And let's see what I can try and do."

McLaren’s stance on team orders remains clear and unchanged, focusing on clean racing above all. Piastri underlined this approach:

"The rules are very, very clear and haven't changed. And yeah, we're free to race each other to try and win.

"Of course, we're in a Constructors' Championship fight and we know that there's a lot at stake for the team.

"But we've shown time and time again that we can race each other well, race each other cleanly. And yeah, we're free to try and both win the race. And that's not changed."

Norris added:

"Oscar said it well. We're free to race. There's never been any rules apart from don't crash into each other."

With both drivers free to challenge each other, yet cautioned to maintain discipline, tomorrow’s race is expected to be a brilliant Grand Prix for both fans of home driver Max Verstappen, but also for those wearing Papaya.