Oscar Piastri confirms he will ‘help out’ Lando Norris in quest to overhaul Max Verstappen after McLaren team orders talks

Oscar Piastri has agreed to help team mate Lando Norris over the remainder of the 2024 season, should the circumstance arise, as McLaren look to beat Red Bull and Max Verstappen to both world titles.

After Red Bull’s dominant start to the campaign, McLaren and Norris have emerged as genuine title contenders thanks to effective updates and consistent form, with the team sitting just eight points adrift in the constructors’ standings and the Briton 62 points off Verstappen in the drivers’ battle.

However, there was a case for Norris eating further into that advantage at the last race in Italy, where he was dramatically overhauled by Piastri for the lead on the opening lap and the squad’s so-called ‘papaya rules’ came under the spotlight.

After team boss Andrea Stella pointed to internal talks taking place between Monza and this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, both McLaren drivers faced the media in Baku to explain what was discussed and any agreements that have since been made.

Jolyon Palmer's Analysis: Norris vs. Piastri & Papaya Rules

While he noted that “there is still some degree of movement and flexibility” around how much he will assist, depending on the situation in any given race, Piastri confirmed he is fundamentally ready to play the supporting role for the remaining eight rounds.

“The team have asked me to help out and I’ve said for the last few races that if I was asked, then I would,” he commented. “Of course, naturally as a driver it’s never an easy thing, or simple thing, to agree to. There’s a much bigger picture in play than just myself.

“I’m still coming out here to try and achieve the best results I can and put myself in a good position to just score a lot of points for myself and also the team. I know that if there are some ways of helping the points for Lando, then I’ll do that.”

Piastri was then asked how differently he will play this weekend’s race on the streets of Baku if he and Norris lock out the front row of the grid again – having gone wheel-to-wheel from those positions last time out at Monza.

MONZA, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 01: Oscar Piastri of Australia driving the (81) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes — Norris lost out to both team mate Piastri and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc on the first lap at Monza

“I think it would be different, yes of course,” said the Australian. “In Monza coming out of the second chicane in first and third for the team is of course not ideal.

“For myself, yes, it put me in a race-winning position. We didn’t finish in second and third because of this move. We finished second and third because of a bold strategy from Ferrari.”

Denying that he broke any kind of driver prioritisation agreement, Piastri added: “Some things will be different from now [on], but we’ll just see what kind of race circumstances we’re in first.”

Norris, meanwhile, said: “For sure it’s giving me a better chance [to challenge Verstappen], which is the whole reasoning for doing it. Not just that – there’s a lot of times it will benefit us as a team also, so it’s not just a sole benefit for me but also from a team point of view.

“It’s just clarity. I think when you’re behind the wheel and you’re driving and you’re racing against people, you always just want clarity on how far you can push things, how safe you need to be, what are the limits, what are the boundaries, that kind of thing.”

Piastri confirms he'll help McLaren teammate Norris in championship challenge if he can

However, he was also keen to point out that implementing such an agreement is far from “simple and straightforward”, with Piastri’s own championship goals “a very valid reason for him to want to fight and do well”.

Noting the importance of fairness and sportsmanship moving forward, Norris added: “It’s the same with everything, you want to win it fair, and I think in any sport once you’ve done something that you know is not fair, that stays in your mind forever.

“That’s not how I work, it’s not how McLaren works. We’ll help each other within our constraints of how we can work together as a team, but that’s it.

“I think when another driver has an advantage and he’s performing better or he’s driving quicker, there’s an advantage he has because he’s doing a better job. If I’m behind and I’m not doing as good of a job, that’s where I deserve to be.”