Oscar Piastri says McLaren will focus on the 2024 F1 Constructors’ Championship rather than assisting Lando Norris in his pursuit of catching Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship.
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Max Verstappen leads the Drivers’ Championship, but McLaren’s focus remains on the Constructors’ Championship, where they trail Red Bull by 42 points. Over the past three months, McLaren has often had the stronger car, highlighted by Lando Norris’s first F1 victory at the Miami Grand Prix in early May.
Oscar Piastri’s second-place finish at the Belgian Grand Prix marked McLaren’s 10th consecutive podium finish. As the season heads into its final 10 races, starting with the Dutch Grand Prix on August 23-25, Norris is 78 points behind championship leader Verstappen.
“The first objective is to win the constructors’ for the team and I think we’ve got a very strong chance of doing that,” Piastri told Sky Sports News. “We’ve been closing the gap to Red Bull in the last six or seven races.”
“I think for me, the drivers’ standings, of course I’d like to finish as high as I can. I’m not not out of the running for the championship myself, it’s a very big ask, but I want to string together good races, build consistency on that front, and really help the team to win the constructors’.”
“If it comes to a situation where I need to help Lando later in the year then of course it is something we’ll discuss, but the first target is to win the constructors’ and try do a good job for myself as well.”
At the start of the season, McLaren was not anticipated to be a title contender, with Red Bull securing a one-two finish in three of the first four races. However, Piastri’s victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix, marking his first full win in Formula 1, has bolstered his belief that McLaren is now in a strong position.
“At the end of last year we had a very quick car on certain circuits but we really needed to rely on those circuits to get good results,” the Australian said.
“This year, we’ve just been quick everywhere and that’s been a joy to be a part of, but a real confidence boost to everybody that we’re not relying on the high-speed corners like we were last year.
“We can rock up and be pretty confident we’ll be, if not the quickest then one of the quickest, and I think that sets us up really nicely for next year.
“I feel like I’m growing in confidence. Getting some more good results and just learning more through my second year as well.
“I want to learn as much as I can and have as much success as I can this year. But ultimately, I think trying to set up a really strong run next year is a realistic target at the moment.”
Norris finished second in Budapest after conceding the lead to Piastri following a series of increasingly firm instructions. Despite losing two points to Verstappen at the Belgian Grand Prix, the Briton remains confident, insisting the team is in a really good place and expressing hope that they can maintain their strong form.
“We’re good and the team is in very good form, we’re trusting one another, we’re working together very well and for us, that’s the most important thing,” Norris said.
“It’s a strength of ours. It’s why we’re now doing what we’re doing and that’s performing as one of the best teams and if not the best team in F1.
“So I’m proud of where we are and what we’re doing and it’s for us to try and keep up.”
McLaren’s CEO Zak Brown added that despite the strong start to the 2024 season, it won’t be easy for Piastri and Norris to take the Constructors’ Championship for McLaren:
“They are both [drivers’ and constructors’] priorities because, ultimately, to win the constructors’, we need our two drivers to be as high up as possible. I’d like to see both drivers in the top three.
“We’ve got second and fourth right now. And the closer we get to the drivers’, the closer that’ll get us to the constructors’, so we’re going for both because all points count.
“I guess the next big occasion for us would be trying to go for the championship.
“It’s certainly a nice feeling. The drivers, the team and everyone has done a wonderful job to get 10 podiums in a row. It is pretty awesome.
“To be competing for the Drivers’ and the Constructors’ Championship is a pretty cool place to be coming into the summer break.
“So there’s a lot of work you have to do, it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be an exciting second part of the year, but I’m very happy with everything that’s been accomplished here at McLaren.”
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