McLaren confirms U-Turn on using Abu Dhabi team orders

McLaren are willing to implement team orders to help one of their drivers win the F1 title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could still secure their first world championship at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, but Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is also in the hunt.

Norris leads Verstappen by 12 points, while McLaren teammate Piastri is 16 points behind as F1 braces for its first three-way title showdown since 2010.

Until now, McLaren have insisted they will continue to allow their drivers to race each other freely despite the threat from Verstappen.

One scenario that could make things awkward for McLaren is if Verstappen was winning with Piastri running higher than Norris in second or third but in a position where his own championship hopes would be all but over.

Asked if the team would expect Piastri to give up position to help Norris seal the title if that situation were to play out, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown told Sky Sports F1: “Yes, of course. We're realistic. We want to win this Drivers' Championship.

"We're coming into the weekend knowing that they both have equal opportunity, even though there's obviously a point spread.

"You don't know how qualifying is going to go, reliability, but if we get into the race and it's becoming pretty clear that one has a chance and the other doesn't, we're going to do what we can to win the Drivers' Championship. It would be crazy not to.

"We want to win the Drivers' Championship. So, we'll kind of see how the race plays out, but we're not going to not win the championship because we're trying to protect a third and a fourth or a sixth and a seventh, or however the situation may play out.”

Brown argued that it wouldn’t be the first time that an F1 team will have asked one of their drivers to make a sacrifice for their teammate.

"It's a team sport, right? So, we're trying to win the constructors' (title) as a team and we're trying to win the drivers' as a team,” Brown added.

"I know that kind of sounds a bit strange, but if one of them can't win, they want the other to win. And that's what the team wants. And they are team players and we've already seen that last year, right?

"You saw that in the sprint in Brazil and I think it was Qatar. So, I don't think it's unusual in any sport for team-mates to make sacrifices for each other to give the team what they want.”

Norris ‘not going to ask’ Piastri for help

Speaking during Thursday’s press conference in Abu Dhabi, Norris insisted he would not be asking Piastri for help.

"It's not really up to me and I'm not going to ask it," Norris said.

"I don't want to ask it because I don't think it's necessarily a fair question.

"I don't know. It's up to Oscar if he would allow it, you know?

Piastri added: "It's not something we have discussed.

"Until I know what's kind of expected, I don't really have an answer.”

Asked if he would be prepared to let Piastri by if roles were reversed, Norris replied: "Personally, I think I would, just because I feel I'm always like that. That's just how I am.”