Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle believes McLaren are “damned whether they do or they don’t” in the way they change the team’s order for the season finale.
Heading into the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lando Norris leads second-placed Red Bull driver Max Verstappen by 12 points in the drivers’ championship. Norris’ McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri is also still within striking distance of the championship trophy, four points behind third-placed Verstappen.
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McLaren’s approach to driver management has received a lot of attention this year as it gives both of them an equal chance, but only if they don’t crash into each other.
Brundle believes the Woking team would be better off dealing with the “nuclear fallout of a moving car” than losing the drivers’ championship.
“They’re damned if they do, damned if they don’t do it in some way. I’m pretty sure they’d rather deal with the nuclear consequences of moving cars. That’s a team,” Brundle told Sky Sports F1.
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“They spend £400m a year running two cars representing 1,000 people at the base and win the Builders’ Award [championship]they want to win the Drivers’ Championship [championship]. What they don’t want to do is let Max Verstappen win the championship.
“Of course, if it was at the final stages, like with Oscar Piastri, in order to lower the order because he couldn’t win the title, I would definitely ask the same thing. Let’s assume Oscar would actually do that, if he was asked to do that.
Martin Brundle
Martin Brundle
“Let’s imagine Max Verstappen wins, Oscar is second, George Russell is third and Lando is fourth. Will they ask Oscar to give up the podium and go back to fourth and let Lando win the championship? I’m pretty sure they will.”
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The former driver added: “It’s like a horror movie for McLaren, being disqualified in Las Vegas and then making tactical mistakes in Qatar.
“All points are important throughout the season. They are on equal footing. If you look back at some of the spectacular wins we have had with all three drivers this season, I believe they are all deserving world champions.
“It’s going to be great. It’s like a movie script! Everything needs to play out. Lando has less to do. We have a standard weekend, no sprints, no tire caps. Just a little touch and reliability for any of the three of them and everything turns around.”
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McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown confirmed ahead of the first practice session in Abu Dhabi that the team would consider enforcing a team order if it was determined someone would no longer race.
Also read:
Zac Brown confirms McLaren Abu Dhabi Grand Prix team’s stance: ‘It would be crazy not to do everything we can to win’
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