Oscar Piastri appears to no longer have to play the role of second driver at McLaren. The chances of his teammate Lando Norris winning the world title are slim, which means the Australian can now fully race for himself in Las Vegas. Of course, Piastri is willing to assist the Brit in ‘specific scenarios’.
During the 2024 season, Lando Norris was genuinely competing for the world title for the first time in his Formula 1 career. This was a new experience for his McLaren team. The British racing team implemented the so-called ‘papaya rules’ to assist the British driver in his bid for victory in the drivers’ championship. For instance, during the sprint race in São Paulo, teammate Oscar Piastri was instructed to let Norris pass. This allowed the Brit to score more points during the shortened race than his closest rival, Max Verstappen.
However, the following day, Verstappen dealt a heavy blow to Norris by winning the Brazilian race from P17, making it seem only a matter of time before the Dutchman secures his fourth world title. Piastri also believes that his role as second driver is now “more or less” over.”We still have some things to discuss, but these are now very, very specific scenarios in which I could help,” the Australian tells Formula1.com. “The chance of winning the driver’s title is now very small.” According to the man from Melbourne, the number of times he had to step aside for his teammate was not as many as expected. “I have always been free to do my job as well as possible. Brazil was of course a time when we swapped things around. But this is the only time in the last five races that we had to do that.”
Specific Scenarios
With a difference of 62 points between championship leader Verstappen and second place Lando Norris, the chance of a first-ever world title for the Brit seems very small. This allows Piastri to focus mainly on his own performance again.
“I know that this weekend (in Las Vegas) I am free to qualify and race as well as possible,” the Australian explains. “If there are specific scenarios, I may still be needed, but these are very specific scenarios. For me, it’s about achieving the best possible result for myself, which of course helps the team.” McLaren is on track to win the constructor’s title.
