McLaren's directive: Team over personal glory in title-deciding race
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella is confident that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will put McLaren’s Constructors’ Championship aspirations above their individual hunger for victory in Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The team heads into the season finale with a 21-point lead over Ferrari, aiming to secure its first Constructors’ title since 1998.
After locking out the front row in qualifying, Norris and Piastri are perfectly positioned to deliver the crown for McLaren. However, the team is mindful of the risks posed by an intense battle between its drivers, particularly with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz starting directly behind them on the grid.
Any misstep could allow Sainz to snatch a victory and potentially jeopardize McLaren’s coronation.
Stella acknowledged the delicate balance required to manage two highly competitive drivers, whose natural instinct is to race for personal glory.
“When we deal with drivers, we always need to be very conscious that they are wired to win races,” Stella said. “They grow from karting thinking like that.
“They always think like that, and then at some stage in their career, you tell them, like, ‘Oh no, here is not about you guys winning. Here is about the team winning.’”
Throughout the season, McLaren has faced challenges in imposing team orders, but Stella is optimistic that Norris and Piastri understand the stakes.
The team has held multiple discussions with its drivers to address scenarios where their individual interests may conflict with the team’s objectives.
“During the season, we already had a conversation, more than one conversation with our two drivers, and we said to them that this is the only situation in which the interests of us three is not the same,” Stella explained.
“So we cannot face something just staying totally united because of the two drivers, each of them wants to win.”
Despite this, Stella has been impressed by how receptive Norris and Piastri have been to prioritizing the team’s success.
“Anytime we had this conversation, I was always very positively surprised by how easy it was to get the point across,” he said. “The first interest is the team, and this will be the same conversation [on Sunday morning].”
Stella emphasized the importance of preparing the drivers for key moments in the race, while also allowing them to race instinctively.
“We have the launch, we have the first corner, the first lap, all situations for which we will have the best possible preparation,” the Italian explained.
“Sometimes in reality, when it’s about close racing, you cannot be too prescriptive, because drivers actually may feel the safest just following the instinct.
“But what’s important is that you programme the instinct with a clear objective, and the objective tomorrow is to bring the championship home.
Both Norris and Piastri, according to Stella, understand the significance of the Constructors’ title for McLaren and for their own careers.
“When I talked with Oscar and Lando as well, they both thought that for where we are in our and in their careers, and in the journey with McLaren, the Constructors’ Championship is actually what they care [about] the most,” he said.
While McLaren will caution its drivers against unnecessary risks, Stella stressed that the team will not adopt a defensive approach in the race.
“I think we should approach the race like we have approached the weekend, by repeating to ourselves that we will just keep doing what we have done before,” he said. “And this is true even in the race.”
Stella praised the team’s composure and focus throughout the weekend, citing Piastri’s bold qualifying performance as an example of their fearless mindset.
“I think if you start to hesitate, you can make the wrong decisions. And so far, I have to say that the team have been pretty cool, pretty chill, calm, focused. Even during the qualifying, no one really held back anything,” Stella noted.
While the Constructors’ Championship remains the priority, Stella made it clear that McLaren will also be targeting a race victory.
“Obviously, we will have some words of caution, but in fairness, we would like very much to win the race,” he said.
“So that will be the objective, and I think it’s also the safest way to make sure that we gain the points that we need to for the championship.”
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