Christian Horner stirs the pot at McLaren with comment about Norris and Piastri’s salaries | F1 | Sport
Christian Horner has rebuffed McLaren’s claim that they have two No.1 drivers, suggesting that Lando Norris is being paid ‘five times more’ than Oscar Piastri and that the Woking-based team see the Brit as their ‘biggest asset’.
Despite Norris being the leading driver in the Drivers’ Championship standings and the highest-paid racer in the McLaren stable, Piastri has shone brightest of late. The young Australian produced a masterclass in Baku on Sunday to see off Charles Leclerc for a sensational second career victory.
The 23-year-old has scored more than any other driver in the field during the European leg of the season and has taken significant points off his McLaren team-mate in the process. While he is playing the team game in 2024, Piastri will be a title contender from the off in 2025.
Asked in Baku whether McLaren have a No.1 driver, Horner replied: “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 upfront from the beginning of what your plans are.”
Team principal Andrea Stella denies having a lead driver, even if the current Constructors’ Championship leaders have made the decision to give Norris priority treatment for the final seven races as his battle with Max Verstappen rages on.
“I think I said already that we have two number-one drivers, effectively,” Stella said after watching Piastri win in Azerbaijan. “And having two number-one drivers means that we approach things, first of all, in the interest of the team.
“The interest of the team is to win the Constructors’ Championship. 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.”
Thanks to the excellent teamwork of Norris and Piastri in Baku, McLaren travel to Singapore with a 20-point lead over Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship standings. Horner and his team will now be sweating as they prepare for a track which has proved costly for them in recent years.
