Behind the Scenes: McLaren Rallies to Protect Norris as Pressure Mounts

Jul.29 - Oscar Piastri's Spa victory has intensified the title fight within McLaren, with rising pressure on Lando Norris after a series of costly errors on Sunday.

In wet conditions, pole-sitter Norris was caught napping at the safety car restart and was passed decisively by teammate Piastri - who went on to win and stretch his lead in the championship to 16 points.

"He was asleep," said Nico Rosberg on Sky, adding later, "Even later in the race, he made three more mistakes, which Hamilton or Verstappen probably wouldn't have made in the same circumstances."

Norris, who radioed after being passed that he had "no pack" - a reference to battery deployment - admitted he wasn't sure what went wrong. "I need to look at it with the team. I don't know," he said.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown defended Norris, telling Rosberg: "We had a small battery issue, which we've got to look at, which I think didn't help him." Asked if the issue was unique to Norris, he replied: "Let me do some homework, but we had some battery issues there at the start."

But team principal Andrea Stella offered a fuller explanation.

"There was a slight anomaly, which actually happened on both sides," he said. "Nothing that should have penalised Lando in particular compared to Oscar. The overtaking ultimately came because it's very difficult for the car that leads the pack to actually arrive first in corner five."

The media widely praised Piastri's decisive move. Gazzetta dello Sport said, "At the university of Formula 1, Oscar Piastri plays the professor." AS in Spain called it "the maneuver that separates the good drivers from the chosen ones," while Mundo Deportivo declared, "Piastri was once again the smartest in the field."

With Piastri pulling away in the standings, calls have emerged for McLaren to back the Australian as clear number 1 - but Stella dismissed the idea.

"If I was looking for comfort, then I'm not doing the right job," he said. "We want to race in an open manner. That gives both drivers the opportunity to showcase their talent, ambition, and quality."

Stella continued: "I've worked with several world champions in my career, and I think Lando and Oscar are performing at the same level. They deserve to challenge each other for the title."

Brown, however, admitted he is impressed with 24-year-old Piastri.

"He's a machine. The impressive thing is that he drives aggressively, yet still finishes every race," said the American.

Criticism of Norris wasn't limited to Rosberg. Veteran journalist for Auto Bild, Ralf Bach, admitted: "He was simply too cautious, but that's not how you become world champion. It's also about balls."

Sky Deutschland's Ralf Schumacher echoed the sentiment. "If Lando had been a bit smarter, he would have had the air he needed. He was a bit too slow.

"Oscar was simply the better driver," he said.

Despite the internal rivalry, Brown remains committed to letting them race. "I'm looking forward to more close duels between Lando and Oscar. May the better one win."

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