However, team principal Andrea Stella stated that any measures to support Norris in his pursuit of the drivers’ championship would only be implemented in accordance with the team’s values of fairness and sportsmanship.
Stella told Sport: “The overall concept is we are incredibly determined to win, but we want to win in the right way.”
With a maximum of 232 points still up for grabs, Norris trails Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 62 points going into this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
With 106 points less behind Verstappen, Piastri is currently in fourth place in the championship.
In a special interview, Stella declared, “We [will] bias our support to Lando.”
We operate under the tenet that the interests of the team always come first. We place a high value on sportsmanship in our overall racing strategy. Next, we wish to treat both drivers fairly.”
Up until this point, McLaren had let Norris and Piastri compete against one another without any team involvement.
The policy change to increase Norris’ prospects of winning the drivers’ championship over Verstappen follows many talks between McLaren management and drivers after the Italian Grand Prix.
Norris and Piastri qualified first and second at Monza, but the Australian passed the British driver on the opening lap, causing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to get in the way of the two McLarens. Leclerc eventually triumphed over Piastri in the race.
