Lando Norris has made it clear that he won’t be “begging” McLaren to prioritize him over his teammate Oscar Piastri on track.
At the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, Piastri and Norris secured second and third place finishes, respectively, missing out on the win to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Norris remains the closest challenger to Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship, with a 62-point gap between them after Verstappen’s underwhelming performance at Monza.
Following the race, questions arose about McLaren’s finishing order, with the team indicating they would favor Norris in future races with the title fight in mind.
However, no such team orders were issued during the Italian Grand Prix, and Norris emphasized that he’s not interested in pleading with McLaren for preferential treatment.
“Yeah, he [Piastri] helps me,” Norris told the media, including RacingNews365.
“But I’m not here to beg for someone to let me pass. That’s not why I’m here. I’m here to race.
“He drove a better race than me, so I finished third, and that’s where I deserved to finish.”
Red Bull’s recent lack of pace has given McLaren a chance to close the gap in the title race as the season draws to a close.
While Norris acknowledged that he would appreciate being favored in the battle for points, he noted that the decision ultimately lies with the team.
“I would love it, but it’s not up to me,” Norris said. “It’s tough because, as any driver, you don’t want things to just be handed to you.
“We’re not running out of time, but it is slipping away slowly, and I still believe we can do it.
“Our pace is obviously great, and I believe we had one of the best cars today. It’s not for me to decide; it’s for the team, but we’re still working well together.
“We’re helping each other out, and I think it’s shown throughout the year that we’re functioning as the best team on the grid, and we’re very happy with that.
“When you’re fighting for a championship, you want every little advantage, and I’m doing everything I can. The best way is simply to win the race. And I didn’t do that today because of some silly things.”