Max Verstappen “would never have accepted” to help Lando Norris instead of Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen would never have accepted being the second driver to support his teammate's run for the title.

McLaren, a difficult choice
After three weeks of anxious waiting, Red Bull and McLaren, with Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, are ready to ignite the final phase of a memorable Formula 1 season so far, which will surely deliver further twists and turns in the last six races.

While the first ten races suggested yet another domination by the Dutch superstar, the tide began to turn from Miami onwards, with McLaren slowly gaining more ground on the Anglo-Austrian team, both technically and consequently in the standings, through updates. However, although the MCL-38 has indisputably become the benchmark on the grid for several months now, the gap between Lando Norris and Verstappen has remained virtually unchanged since the Briton’s first career win in Florida.

The McLaren driver has paid the price for numerous mistakes and poor starts, while his teammate Oscar Piastri has steadily risen to the occasion over the months, demonstrating enviable consistency and performance.

Nonetheless, for championship reasons, the Woking team found itself forced to “sacrifice” the Australian, who, despite his recent success in Baku, has accepted the role of wingman to the Brit until the end of the season.

“For me (Oscar) is absolutely not a second driver, and if I were him, I would never accept it,” Max Verstappen thundered when asked by motorsport.com about the directives imposed by McLaren’s pit wall on the two drivers – “For me, it’s easy to talk, of course, because I’ve been in Formula 1 for 10 years, and for Oscar, it’s only his second season, so it’s always harder to make mistakes. But he’s a great driver who doesn’t deserve to give up wins and positions and be sidelined just because he’s asked to. Are those two the best pair on the grid? Yes, because they are very close and because they are both fast,” the Dutchman added, ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

“McLaren has put the right people in the right places, people who were already working in the team. The personnel isn’t entirely new, except for figures like Rob Marshall. But some staff members have been assigned new roles, and you can see how quickly that can make an impact.” – the three-time Formula 1 world champion concluded.