Norris won’t ask Piastri to gift him title in Abu Dhabi

Lando Norris will not ask McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to gift him the Formula One title even if that is the only way he can beat Max Verstappen in Sunday’s Abu Dhabi season-ender.

The Briton said, however, that he would be willing to do so if the roles were reversed -- although that is not mathematically possible this time.

Norris leads Red Bull’s four-times champion Verstappen by 12 points with Australian Piastri a further four behind.

The three title contenders appeared together at a news conference at the Yas Marina circuit on Thursday, with Verstappen much the more relaxed.

Norris was asked to consider a scenario where Verstappen was leading the race with Piastri third and him fourth. In that case, the reigning champion would retain his crown -- unless the McLaren drivers switched positions.

Would Norris ask Piastri, or McLaren, to do that?

“I don’t think I would ask it because ...I don’t know ... it’s up to Oscar if he would allow it. I don’t think it’s necessarily down to me,” said Norris.

“It’s the same if it’s the other way around. Would I be willing to or not? Personally, I think I would just because I feel like I’m always like that and that’s just how I am.

“I’m not going to ask it, I don’t want to ask it because I don’t think it’s necessarily a fair question,” he added.

“At the same time if that’s how it ends and Max wins, then well. That’s it. Congrats to him and look forward to next year. It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change my life. He will deserve it over us.”

Piastri said the matter had not been discussed.

Mercedes’ George Russell, twice a winner this season who could play his part in the title battle by getting between the contenders, suggested the Australian should unplug the radio in his car.

“I think it would be unfair for either driver to give (up) places,” Russell told reporters.

“If Max wins, he deserves to win. I wouldn’t want to win a championship because my teammate has pulled over, especially if he’s been my rival that year.”

McLaren principal Andrea Stella told reporters after last Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix, where a strategy bungle denied Piastri a win and Norris a podium place, that the team’s approach to racing would not change but there would be conversations this week.

He emphasised, however, that McLaren, already crowned constructors’ champions for a second year in a row, wanted to win both titles in the same season for the first time since 1998.

“What’s important for us is that we are in condition to beat Verstappen with one of our two drivers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Verstappen could become only the second driver after Michael Schumacher to win five Formula One titles in a row this weekend but the Red Bull driver was relaxed about it on Thursday.

Neither parent will be in attendance in Abu Dhabi -- father Jos rallying in Africa and mother Sophie staying at home with the dogs -- largely because he had written off his chances earlier in the season and they had made other plans.

After a home Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort at the end of August, Verstappen was 104 points behind then-leader Oscar Piastri.

He is now four clear of McLaren’s Australian and 12 behind Lando Norris with potentially the greatest comeback in Formula One history only days away from being realised.

“I guess it was not planned,” he said of his parents’ absence. “I also didn’t really plan to be in the title fight at the end and here we are.

“After Zandvoort everything was a bit cancelled I would say. You can see a lot on TV anyway.”

The championship trophy was positioned next to the three contenders in a press conference with all sitting together on a sofa.

Verstappen observed that he had four similar ones at home already and his signature had not changed.

Asked how he had prepared for the final push, Verstappen differed somewhat from his rivals who talked of going through their usual routines or playing padel and marketing commitments.

“I spent some time with my daughter,” said the 28-year-old. “I figured some stuff out for GT3 for next year, figured out some stuff for my sim team as well, planning for next year.

“So yeah, just pretty straightforward stuff before arriving here.”

Agencies