Lando Norris addresses McLaren F1 team orders question: “I want to race”

Lando Norris insists he ‘wants to race’ McLaren F1 teammate Oscar Piastri after responding to questions about whether he should be favoured as he looks to hunt down Max Verstappen.

Norris secured pole position for the Italian Grand Prix - and with title rival Verstappen down in seventh - it could be a huge day for the McLaren driver in this year’s title race.

The topic of team orders has been a frequent talking point one for McLaren, particularly given what happened in Hungary.

Oscar Piastri was handed the victory at the Hungaroring after Norris decided to give up the lead following a McLaren team order.

With Norris now in realistic title contention given McLaren’s form over Red Bull, 2016 F1 world champion Nico Rosberg has called on the Woking outfit to favour their British star.

When asked about team orders, Norris told Sky after qualifying: “I want to race. That is what I am here to do. We have spoken about everything and have prepared for everything.

“If Oscar drives a better race and gets ahead, it is probably because he has done a better job than me.

“We know what is best for the team. We want a one-two as a team and working together is the best way of doing it.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Norris is still wary about the threat Verstappen will pose, even though he starts from seventh on the grid.

Assessing Verstappen’s chances, Norris said: “For sure, it’s a good opportunity. I expect him to cut through and be behind us quite quickly, their race pace looked very strong on Friday, they were on the better side of the graining and the degradation. I expect them to be a bit more hopeful tomorrow.

“For some reason they didn’t seem to take those steps forward through qualifying. He still seemed quick, even in Q2 he was right there and ended up quicker than me even on a used tyre.

“Even his gap to Perez wasn’t as big as what it normally is so I don’t know if he struggled more with something or didn’t put good enough laps in. It’ll be for a reason I’m sure and we need to try and make the most of that.”