Oscar Piastri has rejected suggestions he could call for team orders to aid his quest for the Formula 1 drivers’ championship.
Piastri heads the points standings from his McLaren team-mate, Lando Norris, by 22 points, with Max Verstappen third and 43 points away from the top of the table.
Oscar Piastri rejects McLaren team orders in F1 title bid
McLaren holds a commanding position in both title charges, the team sitting atop the Constructors’ Championship by a healthy 175 points from Mercedes.
That position has been built on the relative performances of both Piastri and Norris, who’ve amassed seven wins between them in the opening 10 rounds of the season, five of those courtesy of Piastri.
However, while the McLaren duo have combined to propel the team clear of its rivals, they’ve not managed to do the same in their individual quests for world championship success.
Closely matched, they’ve instead taken points off one another at times, allowing Verstappen et al to remain in touching distance in the standings.
Despite that, the team and drivers have remained resolute in their aversion to team orders.
It’s a point Piastri reinforced ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, when asked if he’d call for support from his McLaren team-mate should his advantage over Norris continue to grow.
“Your version of healthy is much bigger than mine,” the Australian responded.
“I think, for me, I just want—and we all want—a fair opportunity trying to win both championships. Especially in the Drivers’ Championship, because ultimately, it can only be one of us.
“I think the situation has to change dramatically to start having those conversations, and they’re a very long way away at the moment.
“At the moment, all I can ask for is a fair chance to try and win the championship, and that’s what I want as well.
“No, I’m not willing to enter those talks at all.”
Piastri’s position echoes that of McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, who has insisted that he will not employ team orders while both his drivers are in with a shot of the championship.
Speaking with PlanetF1.com, Brown went so far as to suggest that he is willing to lose the drivers’ championship if it means he won’t have to deny Norris or Piastri the opportunity to contend for it.
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“The best way to win the Constructors’ is to finish first and second in the Drivers’, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Brown told PlanetF1.com.
“And then, the way to let the drivers decide who’s first and second is by treating them fully, fairly, transparently.
“Our drivers aren’t asking for favouritism, they’re asking for fairness, and that’s what they get,” he added.
“I think they’re very comfortable; may the best man win.
“Hopefully we give them a car in an environment where you’re going into the last race and it’s the two of them competing, and they didn’t take points off each other to the point where it lets Max [Verstappen] or someone else get in there.
“But if so, then whoever wins the Drivers’ Championship has done a better job.”
The intra-team battle at McLaren came to a head in Canada last time out when Norris impacted Piastri’s rear wheel as they battled for fourth, rendering the Brit an instant retirement.
Despite that clash, nothing has changed within the Woking squad, with its drivers still free to race.
“In Canada, what we’ve done well this year is acknowledging that it’s a possibility,” Piastri reasoned.
“I think we dealt with it very well in Canada and since Canada.
“What we’re doing and the way we’re going about things is the correct approach.
“It’s obviously a difficult one to navigate, but that’s a good problem to have in some ways.
“What we’ve been doing is good, and just a fair opportunity is what we both ask for.”
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