Oscar Piastri isn’t rolling out the red carpet for Lando Norris just yet – but he’s not slamming the door shut either.
The McLaren driver heads into Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with an outside shot at the Formula 1 crown, and while he insists he’s not here to play wingman, he’s made it very clear: under the right conditions, he would be willing to open the way for his teammate.
Piastri starts from third on the grid, staring directly at championship rivals Norris and Max Verstappen. But with a 16-point gap to Norris and six to Verstappen, his title hopes depend on a lot more than raw pace – they hinge on chaos.
Speculation began swirling that McLaren could ask Piastri to let Norris by if the championship math demands it. The Australian quickly cooled that talk after qualifying.
“We’ll still discuss it,” he said to Sky F1. “I’ve not had any direct discussions about that yet.”
Still, Piastri refused to shut the conversation down entirely, reminding everyone that his own title bid isn’t dead until someone else crosses the finish line ahead.
“But until either Max or Lando cross the line ahead of me then I’m still in the running, so we’ll see what that looks like tomorrow,” he added.
And when asked directly whether he would consider stepping aside if circumstances demanded it, Piastri acknowledged that the team must avoid friction heading into next season.
“Definitely, yeah,” he admitted. “It’s obviously not the easiest decision for anybody but, again, we’ll discuss it before the race.”
Eyes on Turn 1 – and on Trouble
Just like Norris, Piastri hasn’t yet scripted his move for the first corner.
“I’m not really sure yet, I haven’t thought that far ahead,” he confirmed. “But obviously to try and win the championship I need more than just simply win the race. We’ll see what entails.”
Read also:
From his spot on the second row, Piastri has a front-row view of his rivals – and of any sparks that might fly between them.
“It could do! We’ll see how it gets played,” he concluded.
If Sunday descends into chaos, Piastri could be perfectly placed to seize an unlikely title.
But if the championship fight swings Norris’ way, the Australian seems ready – reluctantly, strategically, and only when the moment is absolutely right – to play the ultimate team game.
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook
