In BAKU, Azerbaijan, McLaren will show favoritism towards Lando Norris over his teammate Oscar Piastri in the remaining eight races of the Formula 1 season following Norris’ loss of the lead to Piastri in the previous race in Italy. Norris, currently 62 points behind standings leader Max Verstappen, enters this week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a stronger momentum compared to Verstappen who has not won a race in the last six outings, struggling with his Red Bull car which he has described as a “monster.”

Despite McLaren not officially adopting a number one and number two driver stance, Norris expressed that there will be a bias towards supporting him. In the last race in Italy, Norris, who started from pole position, was surpassed by Piastri, allowing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to overtake him as well and ultimately claim victory, with Piastri in second place and Norris in third.

While there are plans for Piastri to assist Norris within certain limits, Norris emphasized his desire not to be simply handed the title, although the specific arrangements are not entirely clear. Norris hinted that positions such as second and third, as seen in Monza, might be switched around in the team’s favor, with Piastri likely supporting Norris for lower positions, unless Piastri has legitimately contended for a win.

There is an ongoing uncertainty surrounding the exact nature of the support Piastri will provide to Norris for the remainder of the season, as both drivers navigate their respective roles within the McLaren team dynamics.