Lando Norris has rebuffed suggestions that McLaren should designate him as the team's number one driver in the quest for the Formula 1 world championship.
The Briton currently occupies second place in the standings, 76 points behind championship leader and main rival Max Verstappen.
The impressive performance this season of McLaren's MCL38 has amplified calls for the team to prioritize Norris' title challenge.
And the recent controversy surrounding team orders at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Norris initially resisted yielding the lead to teammate Oscar Piastri, has only intensified this debate.
However, for now Norris remains steadfast in his belief that both drivers should have equal opportunities to compete for race wins and podium finishes.
“I still need to earn it, I still need to go out there and drive quicker than everyone,” he said. “I don't think that changes anything.
“I don't know why it is now the point, all of a sudden, where you would have a bias over one? We've never had the bias in the team.
“Why now all of a sudden do I have a chance?” he added. “I've had a chance the whole season and we're only halfway through.
“We've got a hell of a long way to go. So maybe a little bit further down the line [the approach can change], but that time is to be decided.”
Norris also dismissed any connection between the team orders incident in Hungary and the championship battle, insisting that the team's actions were solely focused on maximizing points in that specific race rather than influencing the overall standings.
“I shouldn't have led the race and people should never have then had the perception the team is not biased towards Lando,” he said.
“If Oscar was leading the whole race there's absolutely zero reason why they should ask him to suddenly let me pass, if you're thinking of it from a championship point of view."
Piastri echoed Norris' sentiment that it was too early in the season to consider team orders, acknowledging that while the possibility of favoring one driver might become necessary later in the championship, for now, both drivers should focus on maximizing their own points.
“We're still very early in the season and I'm a long way behind in the driver's standings, but I'm also not out of it,” commented the Hungarian Grand Prix victor.
“It doesn't take that many races to be in the same position that Lando's in. Let's see how it plays out.
“If they need me to be a team player and try and help Lando, then of course I'll do that. But I think the biggest thing is trying to score the most points of all the teams and win the constructors'.
"I think that's definitely the biggest opportunity we have and we'll see if this happens as well.”
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