F1 Q&A: Is Norris too nice to be McLaren 'number one'?

Team orders were nan main talking constituent of nan Hungarian Grand Prix aft Lando Norris handed backmost nan title lead to team-mate Oscar Piastri, mounting up nan Australian's maiden Formula 1 victory.

BBC Sport F1 analogous Andrew Benson answers your questions pursuing nan eventful title astatine nan Hungaroring.

At 1 constituent successful nan Hungarian Grand Prix, Lando Norris was six seconds up connected Oscar Piastri - which was astatine slightest 2 aliases 3 seconds much than nan worth of nan undercut - truthful wasn't he up connected merit? - Patrick

No. The logic Norris was up of Piastri successful nan last stint was because McLaren had chosen to bring him successful first for his last pit stop.

This is not normal believe - successful F1, a squad would usually ever prioritise nan driver up astatine nan pit-stop period. That's considered his right.

But location were different factors successful play. Lewis Hamilton had made his last pit extremity successful nan Mercedes connected thigh 40, and connected caller tyres he was closing successful connected nan McLarens astatine good complete a 2nd per lap.

Team main Andrea Stella said that McLaren had wished earlier nan title that they nether nary circumstances wanted 1 of their cars to extremity up down Hamilton aliases a Ferrari, because of nan trouble of overtaking. Which Max Verstappen inadvertently demonstrated truthful effectively.

So to protect Norris from nan 'undercut' - being closed down by Hamilton to nan grade he would pit and travel retired down nan Mercedes - McLaren stopped Norris connected thigh 45.

Now, immoderate based on aft nan title that this was excessively cautious - astatine this constituent Norris was still astir 25 seconds up of Hamilton, and a pit extremity successful Hungary costs astir 20 seconds of elapsed title time. So Norris was still 'safe'.

But undercut scope is astir 2 seconds, and McLaren did not want to consequence Norris’ way position being affected successful nan arena of a problem astatine nan pit stop.

Stella said: "I don't want successful a title for illustration coming that nan work goes to nan pit crew. I would alternatively return nan work astatine nan pit wall, unafraid nan one-two and past we negociate nan business betwixt nan pit wall and nan drivers."

Why not extremity Piastri first? Because they wanted to protect him against Verstappen, who was only 9 seconds down and yet to make a last stop, and guarantee nan Australian did not tally retired of tyres successful lawsuit nan Red Bull came into nan equation precocious successful nan race.

As for nan spread betwixt Norris and Piastri successful nan last stint, retrieve that successful nan first stint, Piastri pulled retired 3.5 seconds connected Norris and extended that to 4.4secs successful nan second, earlier he made a mistake, ran wide astatine Turn 11 and Norris was capable to adjacent to conscionable complete a 2nd behind.

Norris pulled retired a akin spread successful nan last stint. But some McLaren drivers agreed aft nan title that, arsenic Piastri put it: "Track position made a very large quality today. And I deliberation that's why having nan commencement I did was truthful critical."

In different words, moving successful clear air, pinch nary turbulence, and truthful nary effect connected aerodynamics, reduced strain connected nan tyres, and truthful little overheating was what made 1 McLaren look faster than different if it was ahead, erstwhile successful truth their gait was similar.

And 5 seconds is nan minimum separator drivers effort to support from a car successful beforehand successful qualifying to guarantee their gait is not compromised.

As Stella put it: "The 2 drivers were very balanced, and coming successful judging nan gait we request to beryllium careful, because pinch these tyres successful these conditions you couldn't push each nan measurement level out. So you needed to prime wherever you controlled your pace."

Did Norris backmost himself into a area by holding connected to nan lead excessively long, losing nan chance to effort and walk Piastri connected track? - Jonathan

This statement is that, had Norris fto Piastri by erstwhile he was first asked to do so, alternatively than statement it for 20 laps, he would person been correct down his team-mate and had a chance to title him to nan end.

In those circumstances, had Norris been capable to walk Piastri connected track, nan triumph would person been his by right.

The McLaren drivers are free to title - arsenic some emphasised astatine various times successful Hungary.

However, successful 2 adjacent cars, connected nan Hungaroring, connected a basking time connected which tyre guidance was critical, Norris would almost surely not person been capable to get adjacent capable to Piastri to moreover effort to pass.

And if you want grounds of this, conscionable look really difficult it was for Verstappen to walk Hamilton erstwhile he caught him connected thigh 37. He ne'er managed it, contempt having a faster car and tyres that were 5 laps fresher.

The aforesaid point happened to Verstappen successful nan last stint - past he had nine-lap fresher tyres, but ended up crashing pinch nan Mercedes.

Is Norris excessively 'nice' to ever triumph a world title? Doesn't he request much slayer instinct? - Florence

There will beryllium galore different opinions arsenic to really Norris handled himself successful that last stint astatine nan Hungaroring.

Some will opportunity he should person fto Piastri by sooner. At nan different extreme, immoderate will opportunity "to hellhole pinch nan team, drivers person to deliberation of themselves. He should person hung connected and damn nan consequences, and return arsenic galore points retired of Verstappen’s lead arsenic possible."

Norris said he was wrestling pinch this dilemma successful nan race.

McLaren squad main Stella said: "There is nary title driver who would say: 'OK, erstwhile are we going to do that?' They ever dream they will beryllium P1 and [think]: 'Maybe nan squad will fto maine get it.' But we were very clear earlier nan race, truthful it's a business that proves and shows what it intends to beryllium portion of McLaren.

"I would beryllium highly concerned successful that lawsuit if Lando had not demonstrated 'I americium a title driver’ because that's nan ethos you request to conflict difficult pinch Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and much and much Oscar himself."

After nan race, Norris said he understood nan rationale for what he was asked to do, and insisted it was correct and fair.

The reality is that drivers request their teams. And while Norris mightiness gain a reputed £23m from McLaren and beryllium 1 of nan finest drivers successful nan world, he is still an worker and he still needs nan car and for his squad to beryllium connected broadside to triumph a drivers' title.

Stella says accepting these sorts of situations is non-negotiable.

"Interests of nan squad travel first," Stella said. "If you messiness up connected this matter, you cannot beryllium portion of nan McLaren F1 team. That's nan principle."

After Hungary, do McLaren now request to look astatine nan agelong crippled and prime a 'number one' driver regards nan drivers' title? - Iain

Norris says he believes he tin still situation for nan title, moreover if he says it's a agelong changeable astatine 76 points down Verstappen pinch 11 races to go.

But I'll fto McLaren squad main Stella reply this mobility for you, seeing arsenic he was asked it aft nan race.

"With Oscar and Lando, we don’t request to determine who is nan number 1 driver," Stella said. "We title fair. And if 1 of nan 2 drivers gains connected merit a result, this is protected.

"Maybe if it's nan past mates of races and location is simply a beardown title liking for 1 of nan 2 drivers, we whitethorn revise this.

"But what I americium expecting [in that situation] is nan different driver coming to maine and saying: 'If you request my thief pinch nan different driver because he is successful nan title position, I americium available.' And you build this ethos if you negociate days for illustration coming successful a adjacent measurement for illustration I deliberation we person done.

"This whitethorn springiness a batch of worldly for rumours and media. That's adjacent enough; that's racing. To beryllium honest, I bask this arsenic a spectator aliases arsenic a fan. But please admit that we conscionable did what was adjacent coming and I want nan full squad to realise and hopefully our fans arsenic well."

At what constituent tin we genuinely norm retired a Max Verstappen move to Mercedes? Another difficult play for Red Bull and soul conflict is building - Lewis

Not yet, that's for sure. As of now, Verstappen is not considering leaving Red Bull astatine nan extremity of this season, BBC Sport has been told, but location is still a chance he will astatine nan extremity of 2025.

Verstappen has a statement pinch Red Bull until nan extremity of 2028. And 1 system by which he could person near has been removed.

Until recently, Verstappen had an addendum to his statement signed pinch Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko which stated that if Marko near nan team, Verstappen could arsenic well.

That has now been removed, according to sources adjacent to nan situation. The Austrian broadside of Red Bull were terrified of losing Verstappen and they put unit connected Marko to region nan clause and motion a statement committing him to Red Bull to nan extremity of 2026.

But this does not mean Verstappen has nary measurement out.

BBC Sport understands location are different aspects of his statement that would alteration him to time off successful definite circumstances, immoderate of which are clauses related to nan capacity of nan car and team. Of course, nan statement is secret, truthful it is not imaginable to cognize nan afloat item of these.

Red Bull person not responded to requests for remark connected this subject.

Why mightiness Verstappen time off Red Bull?

One logic is to do pinch nan 2026 motor regulations. These present wholly caller powerfulness units, and Red Bull person group up their ain motor institution to nutrient theirs, pinch backing from Ford.

The Verstappens - Max and his begetter Jos - are concerned it will not beryllium a lucifer for nan Mercedes engine. If they consciousness from their fact-finding that nan Mercedes will person a important advantage, they will activity to move teams.

Another logic is nan allegations of intersexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour made against Red Bull squad main Christian Horner by a female worker past winter.

Horner has firmly denied immoderate wrongdoing and was cleared by nan squad successful February, which a friend of nan complainant told BBC Sport she "struggles to understand".

Jos Verstappen has made clear successful nationalist that he is uncomfortable astir this situation, and it is nary concealed that he and Horner are astatine loggerheads. Max has been much circumspect astir his nationalist comments, but he and his begetter are very close.

A 2nd soul Red Bull investigation into nan allegations against Horner - pursuing nan employee's entreaty against nan first determination successful February to disregard her title - is ongoing. There could yet beryllium further developments beyond that.

And sloppy of nan contractual situation, Horner said earlier this twelvemonth that if a driver does not want to thrust for a team, he can't beryllium forced to do so.