McLaren under discussion

Automatically saved draft

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri

(Bild: AFP/APA/SIMON WOHLFAHRT)

Hardly any other topic is currently occupying Formula 1 as much as McLaren's strategy. The fact that the team has not yet introduced a stable order despite Lando Norris' good chances of winning the world championship is a source of puzzlement among experts. Nico Rosberg, meanwhile, suspects that Oscar Piastri has included a clause to this effect in his contract.

The fact that McLaren allows its drivers to drive at their own discretion is met with mixed feelings among fans and the media. Had Piastri not passed Lando Norris in the first corner at Monza, for example, and perhaps even kept Charles Leclerc at bay, it would have been quite possible for the Englishman to leave Italy with 25 points in his luggage. In the end, it was 'only' 15 - not irrelevant in terms of the world championship ...

In view of this, Rosberg suspects: "It's tough, but I think he has a clause in his contract that says he doesn't have to help Lando. Oscar is also a very strong driver, so from his point of view he deserves every chance of winning a GP." In purely mathematical terms, the Australian could also become world champion. "He's not that far behind Lando. So it's hard to ask him to sacrifice race wins," said the 2016 world champion in the Sky Sports F1 podcast.

Nico Rosberg became world champion with Mercedes in 2016.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

"Can destroy trust in the long term"
Rosberg knows McLaren's dilemma all too well. During his time at Mercedes, the German fought for the title alongside his team-mate Lewis Hamilton for years before managing to prevail against the record world champion in his final season. "As a team, you also have to be very, very careful, because it can destroy a young driver mentally if you suddenly don't treat him fairly," the 39-year-old explains. "That can destroy trust in the long term. So it's very tricky, and that's what makes the situation so difficult for McLaren."

Norris is currently 62 points behind leader Max Verstappen in the drivers' standings. With eight races to go, the 24-year-old still has plenty of time to overtake the Dutchman, but he will not give up the title so easily. Meanwhile, Norris' team-mate Piastri is already 106 points behind the reigning world champion and 44 points behind his team-mate.