Formula 1 2024: Team Red Bull baits McLaren over ‘confusing’ team order

Red Bull’s Christian Horner has baited McLaren over its team order saying that after Oscar Piastri’s second win of the season he is the team’s ‘No.1 driver’ despite his teammate being paid ‘five times’ more.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has baited rival McLaren over its handling of the team orders scenario, saying the team is paying Lando Norris “five times” what they pay Oscar Piastri and should be their “No.1 driver”.

Following Piastri’s victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which gave McLaren the lead in the constructors’ championship, Horner said there had never been any confusion at Red Bull over world champion Max Verstappen’s standing as the team’s top “asset”.

McLaren has been hesitant to implement team orders by prioritising Norris over Piastri to help the Briton in his fight with Verstappen for the drivers’ championship.

But in the lead-up to Baku, the papaya outfit finally made the call that Norris would be given preferential team orders for the rest of the year to help him close the gap on the Dutchman.

Piastri’s second Grand Prix victory of the year at the weekend, however, has only put the spotlight on the team orders scenario for the rest of the season even more.

The Australian sits fourth in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship, but is now only 32 points behind teammate Norris, who finished fourth in Baku after starting from 15th.

Norris trails Verstappen by 59 points in the drivers’ standings. Piastri is 91 points behind in fourth place and mathematically still a chance to win the world title with seven events left in 2024.

Piastri scored more points than any other driver during the European leg of the season and his Baku victory meant he pulled back another 15 points on Verstappen in the championship.

He’d need a near miracle run home and win all seven remaining races and Verstappen to finish fourth or worse every round to close the 91 point gap to the top.

Red Bull has also told Sergio Perez he will be required to support Verstappen’s bid to defend his world championship.

Horner said Verstappen’s standing at the team as the No.1 driver had always been clear, but said the situation at McLaren with Norris as the team’s “biggest asset” should have been communicated “up front”.

Christian Horner said Oscar Piastri should be McLaren’s number one driver. Picture: Getty Images

“Different teams operate (in) different ways. When you’ve got an asset like Max Verstappen, you don’t make him a No. 2 driver,” Horner told reporters in Baku.

“Lando Norris . . . (McLaren are) paying (him) five times what they pay Oscar.

“So I would assume that he would be their No.1 driver or their biggest asset.

“So, therefore, the confusion comes when you’re not up front from the beginning of what your plans are.”

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella addressed what Piastri’s win could possibly mean for the team orders edict and said decisions would be made based on what was best for the team to deliver the constructors’ and drivers’ championships.

“I think I said already that we have two number one drivers, effectively. And having two number one drivers means that we approach things, first of all, in the interest of the team,” Stella told reporters after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri claimed his second F1 win at the weekend. Picture: Getty Images

“The interest of the team is to win the constructors’ champions. And, yes, it’s to win the drivers’ championship.

“Lando was in the most favourable position before his race. I think he still is in the most favourable position. So more naturally, we would have supported Lando.

“I think we have evidence today that actually, interestingly, it was Lando supporting Oscar and enabling Oscar’s victory thanks to driving for the team and driving to support his teammates.

“So I think that remains our approach. We always intended to review after every event with each driver, with the driver together, what was going to be the best approach for the next races.

“We will do it and set the plan for Singapore.”

Originally published as Formula 1 2024: Team Red Bull baits McLaren over ‘confusing’ team order