McLaren’s Strategy for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

On Friday, McLaren’s CEO Zak Brown declared it would be “insane” for the team not to consider giving orders during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, especially if it means securing a championship for either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri.

As the season nears its end, Norris sits second in the standings, trailing Max Verstappen by 12 points, while Piastri is just four points behind Verstappen. In this situation, only Norris has the power to dictate his own fate—if he manages a podium finish, he will claim his first drivers’ championship, irrespective of how Verstappen or Piastri perform.

However, Norris may require some assistance to achieve that title. If Verstappen wins the race and Norris finishes fourth or lower, he could lose the championship, giving Verstappen his fifth consecutive title—a pretty precarious position, really. If it happens that Verstappen is leading in the latter stages of the race and Norris finds himself stuck behind Piastri in fourth, McLaren might instruct Piastri to let Norris pass, putting him in a strong position for a podium finish and the title.

Brown acknowledged McLaren’s realistic approach towards the upcoming race. “Yes, we are realistic. We want to win this drivers’ championship,” he explained, emphasizing the importance of the weekend ahead.

Despite the score difference, he believes both drivers have an equal shot. He mentioned, “We can’t predict how qualifying will pan out, nor can we foresee any reliability issues. But if one driver has a clear chance and the other doesn’t during the race, we will do everything possible to win the championship. It would seem odd not to.”

Furthermore, Brown downplayed concerns over potential backlash if team orders were to dictate the outcome. “This is a team sport,” he said, underscoring their collective goal of winning both the constructors’ and drivers’ titles. He added, “If one driver doesn’t win, ideally, they want the other to. That’s the essence of teamwork.”

Team orders have previously sparked discussions, notably during last season’s Hungarian Grand Prix when Norris let Piastri through. Still, Brown remains confident that neither driver would disregard team signals in this crucial race. “Our drivers have historically complied with team directives, and I trust they’ll continue to race for the team’s best interests,” he mentioned in a recent FIA press conference.

In practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Norris led the timesheets in the initial hour, while Piastri didn’t participate as Pato O’Ward took the wheel during FP1, fulfilling McLaren’s rookie practice requirement under F1 regulations.