Max Verstappen tells Oscar Piastri he’s a ‘No 2 driver’ if he helps Lando Norris win

Max Verstappen welcomed Oscar Piastri’s confirmation that McLaren will not implement team orders at the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend, telling the Australian that “a real winner and a racer” would “go for it” in their battle with championship Lando Norris.

With Norris leading both Verstappen and team-mate Piastri by 24 points heading into the penultimate weekend of the season, McLaren have said that they will not change their approach to help Norris over the line. When asked whether McLaren had talked about favouring Norris, Piastri confirmed: “We’ve had a very brief discussion and the answer is no. I’m still equal on points with Max.”

Verstappen, who is now back in title contention after McLaren’s double disqualification at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, said McLaren’s approach was “perfect” for him. The Red Bull driver, who is seeking a fifth world title, would benefit if Norris and Piastri take points off each other.

And Verstappen pointedly told Piastri that he would not want to be a “No 2 driver” as he attempted to fire up the McLaren driver heading into the Qatar Grand Prix weekend.

“Why would you suddenly now say that Oscar wouldn’t be allowed anymore to [race]?” Verstappen said. “I mean, if that was said to me, I would have not rocked up. I would have told them to eff off!

“If you’re a real winner and a racer, as a driver, then you go for it, even if you are behind. What’s the point otherwise to turning up? Otherwise, you can easily just label yourself as a No 2 driver, which I think he doesn’t want to be. Hopefully we can make it a great battle until the end.”

British driver Norris can still win the championship this weekend if he outscores Verstappen and Piastri by two points over the course of the sprint race and grand prix.

McLaren have stated all season that no team orders will be incorporated and, despite Verstappen hauling in a deficit of 104 points over Piastri in seven races, the Australian insists he will not be required to directly help Norris this weekend in Lusail.

Asked whether McLaren had talked about favouring Norris, Piastri replied on Thursday: “We’ve had a very brief discussion and the answer is no. I’m still equal on points with Max.

“I’ve got a decent shot of still winning it if things go my way. That’s how we play it.”

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, in an earlier Q&A for McLaren’s website, emphasised that the team will not change their approach at this point in the season.

“No, there is no reason to do so,” Stella said. “We have always said that as long as the maths does not say otherwise, we would leave it up to the two drivers to fight for their chance at the final victory, and that is how it will be in Qatar.

“Let’s not forget that if someone had told us at the start of the season that we would find ourselves in this situation with two races to go, we would have signed up for it. Now we are going to fight for the double world championship with confidence and awareness of our strength.”