Stella explains McLaren stance on Norris being their 'number one' driver as Briton's title hopes increase

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella stopped short of saying whether Lando Norris could become the team's 'number one' driver, saying any decision would have to be taken with "integrity and fairness".

The Briton's emphatic victory in the Dutch Grand Prix reduced Max Verstappen's lead in the drivers' championship to 70 points, with the 24-year-old very much the main challenger for the title at this moment in time.

READ MORE: Piastri admits McLaren need to review key area after Dutch GP as he reflects on ‘disappointing’ weekend

However, McLaren have operated on an even footing regarding their driver pairing, with Oscar Piastri and Norris given equal billing. But with Norris looking more and more like he is in with a shout of fighting for the championship, the team have faced increased questions on whether they will favour the Brit for the rest of this season.

“I think when it comes to these conversations about being the number one, I don't think that's a good way of approaching racing,” said Stella before the race in Zandvoort. “For us, we'd rather approach racing from fairness, integrity, and then see what comes, what sheds from this kind of approach.

“It's [nine] races to go. I think for Lando to realistically be in condition to chase the World Championship, he needs to keep performing at a very high level. He needs to keep being fast. And then you gain your ranks on track.

“And if you gain your ranks, if you gain your merits on track by being fast, by being competitive, then we will evaluate, always led by integrity and fairness.

"Whether on some occasions we need the team to take a certain direction in a 50-50 decision, or if we want to have a conversation with Oscar and say, like, ‘Oscar, would you be available to do this to support Lando chasing the World Championship?’, but it will always have to be a conversation before the race.”

READ MORE: ‘It was discouraging’ – Perez concedes Red Bull need to ‘understand where pace has gone’ after being outclassed in Zandvoort

McLaren famously enacted team orders in Hungary to ensure Piastri won his first Grand Prix, after giving Norris – who was the second car on track – the preferential pit stop strategy. Norris initially seemed reluctant to cede the position to his team mate, eventually doing so a few laps from the end of the race.

Piastri is fourth in the drivers’ standings, 46 points behind his team mate and 116 behind leader Verstappen. There are 258 points remaining on the table from the nine Grands Prix and three Sprints still to come this season.

“We all should be in agreement because ultimately we chase and we are in the quest for a driver's World Championship as a team,” Stella continued. “There's nobody that goes his own way, and then the others will have to follow.

“So that's our style, which is I don't think it can be necessarily and simply summarised in like, we elect a number one, and then we work accordingly. I would like to keep this more articulated as a team, and then be more on a case-by-case situation.”

DISCOVER MORE...

Krack says ‘the door is always open’ for Verstappen at Aston Martin after Newey agrees to join from Red Bull

NEED TO KNOW: The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

‘It became very clear and obvious’ – Newey on his Aston Martin move and teaming up with ‘arch-enemy’ Alonso

ANALYSIS: 'I’ve never been more certain' – How Lawrence Stroll fended off the competition to snap up ‘bargain’ Adrian Newey

THIS WEEK IN F1: 10 quiz questions on the latest news and F1 history in Baku