McLaren driver Oscar Piastri could capitalize on the situation in the 2024 drivers’ championship, where Max Verstappen extended his lead by a significant margin over Lando Norris in Brazil, despite Piastri giving up positions in the past to help his teammate in the championship battle . With Norris looking set to lose the championship to the Dutchman in the next three races, Piastri could have a valid argument for not doing the team’s bidding and being the number 2 driver next year.

The issue of team orders was a hot topic for McLaren, which was criticized for losing a potential lead over Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship after Piastri and Norris battled for top spot at Monza, allowing Charles Leclerc of Ferrari to take advantage. about the situation and win the race. Although McLaren took the championship lead in the following race in Baku, the lack of action drew criticism for allowing its drivers to struggle at a crucial stage of the F1 season.

Since then, McLaren has focused on building its lead over Red Bull and Ferrari, and agreed to go against its spirit and support the driver who had the best chance of competing against Verstappen for the drivers’ championship, which was Norris. As a result, the team began issuing team orders when necessary, to which Piastri complied, including during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix sprint race, where he gave up his sprint victory to his teammate.

With the three-time world champion set to potentially secure his fourth title in the next race, although Norris still has little chance, former F1 strategist Bernie Collins, who presents for Sky Sports F1, believes Piastri would be in a better position to reject it. the number 2 driver role in 2025. He said in the Sky F1 Podcast:

“The interesting question is the next three races.

“If we say the Drivers’ Championship is over (it’s not mathematically, but I understand it’s certainly there), Piastri now has the opportunity to say: ‘I don’t want to be the number two driver in the first race next year.’

“So there will be no more of this: giving up your position in the Sprint race, giving up your position in the main race.

“So I’m really excited to see how that progresses over the next three.”

Piastri’s race engineer Tom Stallard explained that the Australian driver was “taking the long view” in carrying out McLaren’s orders this season in the interests of the team’s preferences. With three races remaining, Stallard was asked how Piastri would carry out the team’s orders in a championship battle. He explained in the Beyond the Net Podcast:

“I think there are two sides to that.

“The first is that this team is very united and wants the best for itself.

“The other thing I would say is that if you are a driver who thinks you are going to win drivers’ championships, you want to be on a team that will support you in doing so.

“So if you’re not prepared to help the team achieve that when it’s the other player, how do you expect the team to treat you when it’s you next time?

“So it’s not that there has to be a tit-for-tat within that, but simply that there have been many examples of Formula 1 teams where the two drivers simply tear strips off each other throughout the season, and then , at the end of it, Kimi Raikkonen wins (in 2007).

“I think, from that point of view, Oscar has been very, very positive in his support of the team and his willingness to support the team in whatever way is necessary.

“He’s looking at the long-term game and really wants his team to win.”