McLaren set to impose team orders at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
McLaren have made it clear they will not hesitate to impose team orders in the decisive moments of Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix if it prevents the drivers’ title from slipping to Max Verstappen, reports BritPanorama.
Zak Brown, the team’s chief executive, confirmed that the team will intervene if the final laps require Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri to assist the other, a stance reflecting both the rarity of the opportunity and the high stakes involved.
Norris enters the finale as the title favourite, holding a 16-point advantage over Piastri and a 12-point cushion over defending champion Verstappen. In practical terms, any team order is likely to involve Piastri yielding track position, given Norris’ stronger mathematical chance.
But Brown insisted the principle applies equally should the standings flip during the race. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Brown was asked specifically whether McLaren would swap their drivers if Verstappen were leading, Piastri running third and Norris fourth—a scenario in which a podium would seal Norris’ title. His response was unequivocal: “We want to win the drivers’ championship.”
Brown elaborated, “We are coming into this knowing we have two horses in the race, and they start with equal opportunities; but if the scenario develops where we have to make a call to help one driver win, we want to win the drivers’ championship.” He noted that safety cars and reliability issues could influence decisions, emphasizing that any intervention would only occur once it’s clear one driver can’t win and one can.
“We won’t be stubborn. There is a lot at stake,” Brown added, stressing that such calls would be made jointly with team principal Andrea Stella. “This is the decision of Andrea and me. We are so aligned on how we go racing that we never need to challenge ourselves. We almost don’t need to talk about it.”
With practice beginning today, Brown confirmed that both Norris and Piastri have been briefed on the team’s position. “The drivers are now aware that we want to win the drivers’ championship,” he stated. “They are great teammates.”
McLaren’s approach marks a sharp contrast with their recent history, as the team has traditionally been reluctant to implement team orders except in exceptional circumstances. However, the stakes are markedly different this weekend.
McLaren last produced a drivers’ world champion in 2008 with Lewis Hamilton and have not entered a final race with two title contenders since the early 2000s with Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard. With Verstappen still capable of overturning the deficit, McLaren believe they cannot afford to leave the outcome to chance.
The plan, according to Brown, is straightforward: the race will run naturally for as long as possible, strategy will remain open for both drivers, and only when the picture becomes unmistakably clear will team orders come into play. Should it be required, it will likely be one of the most scrutinised radio messages in modern Formula One—an indication of whether McLaren’s long wait for another world champion will finally come to an end. In the world of motorsport, where split-second decisions can alter legacies, the potential for drama remains high.
