McLaren to implement 'rules' to stop Lando Norris clashing with team-mate Oscar Piastri in Abu Dhabi GP, says Zak Brown
McLaren are on the brink of winning the Constructors' Championship for the first time since 1998 after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri sealed a front-row lockout in Abu Dhabi; watch the Abu Dhabi GP live on Sky Sports F1 at 1pm on Sunday, with build-up from 11.30am
Saturday 7 December 2024 21:07, UK
McLaren chief Zak Brown has said the team will "come up with some rules overnight" to ensure Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri avoid putting their Constructors' Championship hopes in jeopardy after sealing a front-row lockout for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Norris beat Piastri to pole at the Yas Marina Circuit as McLaren put themselves on the brink of a first constructors' title since 1998, with nearest challengers Ferrari suffering a dismal day.
McLaren were already clear favourites as they arrived in Abu Dhabi with a 21-point lead, but the combination of their perfect qualifying display and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc starting from the back row of the grid mean it would take something remarkable for the Italian squad to turn the situation around.
- Follow live updates and watch best video from Abu Dhabi GP
- How McLaren or Ferrari can win Constructors' Championship
- When to watch season-ending Abu Dhabi GP on Sky Sports
- Get Sky Sports or stream F1 and more with NOW
Brown told Sky Sports F1: "We will come up with some rules overnight, but the drivers know exactly what's going on.
"So, I don't think we will need to tell them everything. I think they know what the plan is."
Sky Sports F1 pundit and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg suggested to Brown that he would be wise to make the instructions very clear to his drivers, who have battled on track on several occasions this season.
Brown replied: "I will say I spoke with Nico about it, just in case it wasn't obvious, you guys should be nice to each other!"
Norris: Zak is more nervous than us
After sealing his eighth pole position of the season to draw level with world champion Max Verstappen for the year, Norris suggested that the strong result had likely made his team boss more nervous.
The Brit said: "I mean, I feel like Zak's probably more nervous that we're first and second than if we were not."
While Leclerc starts from 19th, Norris is aware of the threat posed by Carlos Sainz, who starts from third on the grid in his final race before leaving Ferrari.
Norris continued: "It gives us good knowledge that the car is great, of course. I think we've both been driving well this weekend, and we knew the pressure was on, from ourselves. We've both performed well. We've both got everything out of the car. But this is a long race, and many things can happen. So we're definitely not going to get ahead of ourselves.
"We know we have a little bit of a gap in terms of positions. We're in a much more fortunate position than what Ferrari are. He's going to be putting up a good fight for his final race with Ferrari. You know, he's going to want to prove his point. And I'm excited to battle if that's the case."
Piastri suggested that he was willing to put his own ambitions aside to ensure there is no unwanted drama.
The Australian said: "I think we'll do whatever we can to make sure we win the championship, and that's by far the biggest goal tomorrow.
"I'm sure we'd both love to win the race, but I'm sure everyone would love to win the championship even more. So we'll make sure that happens and have some fun tomorrow."
Norris 'proud' of turning down opportunities to leave McLaren
Norris, whose bid to win the drivers' title fell short, said the element of a constructors' triumph that he would be most proud of is the face he has remained with the team.
The 25-year-old is in his sixth campaign with McLaren and, as one of the most highly rated young talents on the grid, had been linked with moves to the likes of Red Bull and Mercedes at various points of his career.
"I think the thing I'll be proudest and most happy about is the fact I'm still here, the fact I'm still in papaya because I believed in the team for many years," Norris said.
"I had opportunities to not be in papaya and to maybe go on and win races at an earlier stage in my career and those kind of things. I had those opportunities, but I believed and I wanted to simply do it with McLaren. I wanted to do it with the guys who gave me my opportunity in Formula 1.
"And as much as we didn't think it was going to be possible this year, we were hoping for next year. And next year was our kind of in-line target, on-paper target. The fact we're doing it this year is an even bigger achievement.
"Job not done, and Andrea (Stella) will be happy that I say it, but I'm proud to be on this journey, to have been on it with McLaren for so many years, and I'll be very happy when hopefully it's all finished off."
Sky Sports F1's live Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Sunday December 8
7.10am: F1 Academy Race Three
9.20am: F2 Feature Race
11.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Abu Dhabi GP build-up
1pm: The ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
3pm: Chequered Flag: Abu Dhabi GP reaction
4pm: Ted's Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Watch the final race of the 2024 Formula 1 season - the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday's race at 1pm. Get Sky Sports F1 or stream with NOW
