Max Verstappen says McLaren’s Oscar Piastri is “too good” to be asked to support Lando Norris, and says he would have never agreed to it.

As the 2024 F1 season has progressed, McLaren has become the team to beat over the summer, challenging Red Bull for the constructors’ title.

The Woking outfit has since taken a points lead on Red Bull, while Norris has a chance to topple the Dutchman in the drivers’ standings as well, heading into the final run of six races with a 52-point deficit.

And while McLaren is sticking to its general approach of having two equal drivers, the growing realisation that Norris could yet clinch his maiden world title has made the team decide last month to give the Briton priority whenever the on-track situation calls for it.

When asked for his views on McLaren’s team orders in an interview with Motorsport.com, Verstappen said Piastri was “too good” to play a supporting role and shouldn’t have accepted it, although the world champion admitted he has never been in a similar position.

“For me, he’s definitely not a [number two driver] and if I was him I would never accept it,” Verstappen said.

“For me, it’s easy to talk, of course, because I’ve been in Formula 1 for 10 years and it’s Oscar’s second season, so it is always harder to put your foot down.

“But he’s just a great F1 driver who doesn’t deserve it to give up wins and positions and play second fiddle because he’s asked to.”

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, and Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 2nd position, congratulate each other in Parc Ferme

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Under its changed approach, McLaren would likely have reversed the positions in Monza when Piastri and Norris finished second and third respectively, but the team has always clarified it would not ask Piastri to give up race wins for Norris.

Norris has also stated he doesn’t want to be handed the championship on a silver platter.

“If a driver is doing better than me and performing, I need to do a better job, so I wouldn’t want to take that away from someone,” Norris said.

“I also don’t want to be given a championship. Yes, it would be great to have a championship, and on the short term you feel amazing, but I don’t think you’d be proud of that in the long run.

“I want to win it by beating Max, beating my competitors, and proving that I’m the best on track.”

Verstappen praised McLaren for its rapid rate of development over the past 18 months, and for how Norris and Piastri have proven a formidable combination.

Asked if the pair was the best driver line-up among Red Bull’s competitors, he replied: “Yes, because they are closely matched and because they are both quick.

“McLaren has really put the right people in the right place, people that were already working at the team.

“The people there aren’t all new hires, apart from people like [former Red Bull designer] Rob Marshall. But some staff have been given new roles, and you can see how quickly that can have an impact.”

The revelation that the FIA has moved to clamp down on a potential ride height parc ferme trick has added an intriguing twist to the Formula 1 title battle.

But while the governing body’s response to suspicions that one competitor may have been altering front bib clearance between qualifying and the race should stamp out the practice from now, the issue is unlikely to go away immediately.

The big question being asked by some squads in private is whether or not the damage has already been done, and someone has got away with doing something that they believe was clearly outside the regulations.

It is important to state firstly that, at the moment, there is no proof that any team has broken the rules. 
And, somewhat unsurprisingly, no squad has put its hand up and admitted that it has been up to something that it should not have.

The FIA has also been explicit that it has not “received any indication of any team employing such a system”, and one unidentified squad that has been at the focus of the allegations has ruled out it having such a device.

But feelings on the matter could become heightened if, from this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, there is a noticeable step change in the pecking order and one or more teams suddenly fall away.

In a rules era where ride height is absolutely critical to car performance, and teams have long had to battle the compromises between setting a car up for qualifying and the race, the ability to alter the front bib between Saturday and Sunday would be quite a powerful tool to help that.

The potential gains

If someone has been lifting the bib for qualifying and then dropping it for the race, losing that advantage with immediate effect should expose a step-change in performance.

Potentially altering the front bib clearance would help account for the shift in car weight between qualifying and the race, as there is a significant difference in ride height and ride quality between an empty fuel tank for qualifying and it being full for the race.

Having the front bib clearance at the perfect height for both scenarios would give an immediate advantage in terms of being able to take more kerb in qualifying, as there would be no fear of damaging the floor and plank.

It would also ensure that the aero platform was as optimised as possible, which would then have tangible benefits of helping ensure the tyres are in the right operating window.

Cars under covers in Parc Ferme

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

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There could be help too in all of this allowing a team to run much closer to the optimum minimum tyre pressures, without having to sacrifice ride quality through suspension settings.

If you cannot change the bib height, as the regulations state, then teams have to find the best compromise between their ride heights and angles for qualifying and the race – going as low as they dare for both low and high fuel without risking going too far and damaging the plank.

The prospect of a review

Should this weekend deliver a scenario where a team appears to have taken a step back, then that will likely ramp up feelings from its rivals that perhaps the FIA should dig a bit deeper into what has happened up until this moment.

However, while there would likely be calls for some retrospective action to be taken if it can be confirmed that someone had been breaking the rules like this, the difficulty may be in ever having enough proof to take the matter further.

It is understood that all teams have ways to adjust the front bib clearance height on their cars, as it is a standard set-up tool. So the existence of a device in a car’s cockpit to change those settings is not relevant to pushing the matter over the line.

The key however is in understanding whether or not a team has altered the settings under parc ferme conditions between qualifying and the race, which is outside the rules.

That is why the FIA is introducing some procedural changes, which could include the use of seals on the devices used by teams to change the bib clearance, to ensure that these settings remain fixed from now on.

A modern-day Option 13 scenario?

Johnny Herbert, Benetton B194 Ford

Photo by: Motorsport Images

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The issue of the matter being about whether a team secretly changed settings means it will be virtually impossible for the FIA to go back and find out whether or not anyone played some tricks at previous races.

One F1 source has suggested that this is a similar scenario to what happened with Benetton in 1994 over suspicions it was running a form of illegal launch control.

Analysis of its source code by the FIA revealed that its car software had a hidden menu where, if Option 13 was selected, launch control would be activated.

However, despite the governing body looking deep into the matter, no evidence could be found that it had ever been used in a race, so action over it was not possible.

Amid the current tech controversy, a team having a device in its cockpit that would allow it to change bib clearance is not a smoking gun that it broke the rules.

For a breach to happen, there would have to be unquestionable evidence that the settings were altered between qualifying and the race, something that would be nigh on impossible to go back and prove.

As of now, the FIA says it ‘remains vigilant’ on the matter in ensuring teams comply with the regulations, but there could be some increased pressure to review things a bit more if this weekend’s race in Austin throws up some surprises at the front.

Factory Mercedes driver Jules Gounon will make his DTM debut in this weekend’s final round at Hockenheim, replacing Luca Stolz at HRT.

Double Spa 24 Hours winner Gounon has been drafted into the #4 HRT Mercedes AMG GT3 at the last-minute after Stolz had to withdraw from the Hockenheim races due to health reasons.

No further information was provided about 29-year-old Stolz, who was due to see out his third full season with the team in the German GT3-based series.

A statement from HRT read: “Luca Stolz (GER) of Mercedes-AMG Team HRT has been forced to withdraw from this weekend’s DTM finale at Hockenheim for health reasons.

“The 29-year-old’s place in the #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 will be taken by Jules Gounon (AND).

“The Haupt Racing Team thanks Jules for stepping in at short notice and wishes Luca a speedy recovery.”

Gounon brings with him a wealth of experience of GT racing, having won the Bathurst 12 Hour on three occasions and scored class victories in major IMSA SportsCar Championship enduros including Daytona 24 Hours and Petit Le Mans.

His illustrious CV includes two titles in GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with Mercedes, as well as the 2017 GT Masters title at the wheel of a Corvette C7.

Luca Stolz, Mercedes-AMG Team HRT Mercedes-AMG GT3

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

This year has seen the second-generation driver expand his horizons into prototype racing, competing in three rounds of the World Endurance Championship with Alpine in the Hypercar class.

After making his first appearance in the DTM in Germany on 18-20 October, he will be back behind the wheel of the Alpine A424 LMDh in the Bahrain 8 Hours WEC finale on 2 November.

The HRT outfit he is joining in the DTM currently sits fifth in the teams’ standings, two spots behind fellow factory-supported Mercedes team Winward.

The squad’s best runner in the standings is Arjun Maini in eighth on 128 points, while Stolz is placed just one spot behind in ninth after scoring a first win of 2024 at the Sachsenring last month.

Both drivers are out of the championship fight, although another Mercedes driver Maro Engel (Winward) remains firmly in the hunt in third place, 20 points behind championship leader Mirko Bortolotti of SSR Lamborghini.

Engel’s team-mate Lucas Auer, the last remaining driver in the four-strong Mercedes roster, sits 12th in the drivers standings.

Local favourite Jack Miller believes any result is possible at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, given the nature of the Phillip Island venue as well as the weather forecast.

“I think anything is realistic,” said the struggling factory KTM rider ahead of the race weekend, which takes place on a fast track seen as one of the best tests of pure rider ability on the calendar.

“As we have seen many a year here at the island, it’s one of those tracks where even if you are having some slight issues or whatever, you can mask it a little bit.”

This was a sentiment echoed by reigning world champion and reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia, who admitted it will be harder for the Ducatis to exert their advantage at the seaside circuit.

“This track is good for everybody,” said the factory Ducati rider. “The bike here makes less difference compared to other tracks because it’s very fast and it’s more difficult to make the difference. [It’s unlikely we will] see somebody opening up a gap.”

Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Despite growing up in the far friendlier climate of Queensland, Miller sees the cold rain and wind expected on Friday and Saturday as an additional opportunity to sneak an upset over the dominant Ducatis.

“It looks like the weather conditions are going to be iffy throughout at least Friday and Saturday,” said Miller. “And the less dry track time, the better for me.

“I feel like we always hit the ground running, but we’ve been struggling throughout the season to make progress from FP1.

“So the least amount of dry track time will help, because our speed is generally there from the get-go – it’s just how to make those micro-improvements through the weekend.

“Fingers crossed, we can get away to a solid weekend.”

Miller has battled with his KTM for much of the season, leaving Tech 3’s Pedro Acosta and occasionally Miller’s factory team-mate Brad Binder to lead the Austrian manufacturer’s challenge to Ducati.

Acosta secured a first pole position at the last round in Japan, but crashed out of both the sprint and the grand prix whilst in contention for a breakthrough win.

“There’s no hiding the fact that I’ve had my issues,” said Miller. “But the boys [Acosta and Binder] are doing a fantastic job being able to ride around it and still put the bike where it needs to be on Saturday and Sunday.” 

VR46 Ducati rider Fabio di Giannantonio will miss the final two races of the year in favour of surgery on the shoulder he injured in practice for the Austrian Grand Prix in August.

The Italian will undergo an operation on his left shoulder after the Thailand Grand Prix, which follows this weekend’s round in Australia.

If all goes to plan, he will race two successive grands prix in Thailand, where the 2025 season kicks off on 2 March.

Di Giannantonio will remain with the VR46 team next year, but will be riding a factory-spec Ducati for the first time in his career.

“We’ll do the surgery after Thailand,” said di Giannantonio. “It’s the best compromise between doing as many races as possible this year and starting next year in the best condition.

“The plan is to be as ready as possible for the Sepang [pre-season] test and then 100% in time for the first race.

“It’s not fantastic for me because it’s never good to miss races. It’s never good to finish the season a bit earlier than the others.

“But at the same time, it’s an opportunity to be 100% physically fit for next year. So we have to accept this and work with it.

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“I wanted to do as many races as possible. If there was the opportunity to do all the races this year before the surgery, I would have taken it. But it wasn’t possible. The doctor said the limit would be Thailand.

“We also have to work at 100% for these two races so I can finish this year with a nice vibe.”

Despite the operation plan, Di Giannantonio said pain was becoming less of an issue and was upbeat for the weekend’s racing at a circuit where he scored a podium in 2023 aboard his Gresini Ducati.

“I’m actually feeling better already, but inside the shoulder it’s a bit weak. That’s the main reason for the surgery. I hope I can ride with fewer pain killers this weekend!

“This track is just amazing, I love the island vibe and the country too. Last year was super good for us so the goal is to try and get the same feeling on the bike as last year. I really hope to back fighting for the top five and maybe for the podium.”

Di Giannantonio’s best 2024 result thus far has been a fourth place at the Dutch Grand Prix and he sits level on points with his VR46 team-mate Marco Bezzecchi in 10th.

Gresini Ducati rider Alex Marquez says he was “surprised” at the media comments made by Honda’s Joan Mir immediately after the most recent MotoGP round in Japan.

The 2020 MotoGP champion spoke out against Marquez after being taken out of the race by the Ducati, which literally attached itself to the back of his machine after Marquez lost control on the first lap.

Mir made his comments about the “crazy” incident a short while before news of a long lap penalty for Marquez – which the Spanish rider must serve in this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix – was announced.

At the time, Mir was also under the impression that the clash was not being investigated at all. This led him to direct considerable criticism at the stewards as well as Marquez, who did accept responsibility for the crash and later said he had apologised to Mir.

“I was surprised by Mir’s reaction,” said Marquez in Australia on Thursday. “Because what he said to me didn’t make sense to me at all [compared to] what I found in the press yesterday.

“When Joan spoke in the press, he got heated and didn’t make a lot of sense. He was pissed off with race direction about the long lap [penalty that had not yet been announced].

“I was told that the reason was that I had ruined someone else’s race. But Jack Miller caused the crash at Mandalika [when the Australian took out three riders on the opening lap, and was not penalised].”

Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

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Marquez is 12th in the points standings heading into this weekend, having secured just one podium so far this season – a third position at the German Grand Prix.

Mir is 20th, having only occasionally troubled the scorers in a very tough year for all the Honda riders. The Spaniard’s lack of speed has been compounded by unfortunate incidents.

“It’s not just a case of bad luck. It’s also being in the wrong place at the wrong time. These kinds of things always happen when you’re fighting at the back,” said Mir.

He was, however, in more optimistic mood coming into the weekend, which will play out on a resurfaced Phillip Island circuit.

“I expect that this will help us,” Mir said. “This track is always special. It’s one I enjoy and where I have been fast in the past.

“Phillip Island is a bit different. Maybe it’s a track where we can show our progress…or maybe not!”