Jenson Button, F1 World Champion in 2009 and having driven for McLaren, asks his former team to favor Lando Norris. The young Briton is still in the race for the world title against Max Verstappen, but recently he has seen Oscar Piastri steal valuable points from him.
“Fernando is faster than you…”if you were watching F1 in 2010, you probably remember this radio exchange between Felipe Massa and his engineer at Ferrari. At that time the Italian team asked the Brazilian driver to let Fernando Alonso pass, then fighting with Sebastian Vettel for the world title. The Spaniard ultimately failed at the end of the season, just four points behind the Red Bull driver.
As Jenson Button reminds us so well, team instructions are part of F1, they have always existed, but are now more brought to the forefront thanks to radio exchanges that have become public.
“Ferrari won so many world championships with Michael Schumacher [grâce aux consignes d’équipe]. In a way, this is also the reason why Vettel was able to win so many world championships.”
With six Grands Prix remaining in the season (and three Sprints), Lando Norris is 52 points behind championship leader Max Verstappen. At the wheel of a McLaren in great shape, the young British driver can still dream of the world title. Indeed, in the opposing camp, the Red Bull lost its splendor, becoming more pointed and complicated to drive.
Also read: Verstappen says “Piastri is doing a fantastic job” this season
Is Oscar Piastri Verstappen’s best ally?
Despite this drop in speed, Max Verstappen managed to keep his competitors at bay, while his last victory dates back to last June, during the Spanish Grand Prix. The three-time reigning World Champion has seen his rivals share victories and points on numerous occasions.
This situation therefore pushes Jenson Button to ask McLaren to give instructions in favor of Lando Norris.
“I love that there are no team orders, because as a racing driver you hate them”, Button said on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast. “But at some point, if you want to win a world championship, you have to favor a driver.”
Lewis Hamilton’s former teammate even asks Oscar Piastri to help his garage neighbor.
“Especially at this stage of the championship where every point counts. For Lando, if he has any chance of becoming world champion in 2024, he needs every point. This even involves using Oscar to grab the fastest lap if Max holds it during a race.”
Before concluding by declaring that “If the team wants to win not only the constructors’ championship, but also the drivers’ championship this year, that’s what it’s going to have to do.”
Read also: Villeneuve: “If Norris is not champion, it will be McLaren’s fault”
