Should McLaren be supporting Norris for the Driver's Championship?

[Jericoke]

Will Buxton gave an impassioned speech in the post race show that McLaren is making a terrible mistake by not having Piastri give points to Norris in his fight for the WDC.

I disagree with Buxton.  He's correct to say that Norris won't win the championship without the full support of McLaren.  However, I don't think that acknowledges what McLaren gives up.  A tradition of letter their drivers put their best foot forward.  A tradition of working together on a race to race basis.  F1 teams operate on a culture, and if you ask half your team to lose on purpose, that can get into the culture.

I also feel that if Piastri 'gives' Norris points, there is a very real chance that the championship would seem tarnished.  Even in the days where Michael Schumacher's teammates were known across the sport as 'rear gunners' who would actively give up points to Schumacher, Michael had the good grace to be embarrassed about it.  Norris feeling entitled to those points would feel sour to me.

[John S]

Jeri, I really can't believe were discussing this. 

Over the years here on GPWiz we have had countless arguments about team orders getting in the way of real racing and general consensus has been they should be allowed to race, until it becomes mathematically impossible for lower, in the points, team mate to take championship themselves.

Presently it's still mathematically possible, although nearly impossible I'll grant you, for Oscar to win the title himself. I'm pretty sure when they're past the point of Oscar's chances being zero he will be the first to admit it's time to become the assistant.

I for one supposed that the days of notorious Rob Smedley radio broadcast to Phillipe Massa; "Fernando is faster than you, Confirm you understood the message", would never come round again, and I hope they won't. 

[Andy B]

Its a team sport and the drivers are not bigger than the team so to it makes sense to use the best options for both titles even though I don't like it being manipulated.

[Dare]

Red Bull does it and probably Ferrari will now so why not do it for Norris. How many points have they cost him already

[Andy B]

Red Bull does it and probably Ferrari will now so why not do it for Norris. How many points have they cost him already

Ferrari did it when it was banned!
Would MS have had severn titles if he had not number one status?

[John S]

Red Bull does it and probably Ferrari will now so why not do it for Norris. How many points have they cost him already

Ferrari did it when it was banned!
Would MS have had severn titles if he had not number one status?

The answer from me is Yes Andy.

Cream always rises to the top. 

[rmassart]

Would MS have had severn titles if he had not number one status?

Yes, because his team mates always significantly inferior to him (as good as they surely were). I can't remember him ever having a team mate who could challenge his number one status. But I suppose that was the point.

[lkjohnson1950]

Also MS did almost all of the testing at Ferrari and they tested almost every day they weren't racing. They car was as tailored to his needs as any race car ever. Teammates just had to cope.

[cosworth151]

This makes me think of the 2002 Austrian GP. Rubens Barrichello lead handily from pole. Ferrari ordered Barrichello to let Schumi take the win. Rubens waited until the last corner of the last lap to let him by.

[Andy B]

Eddie Irvine once said "MS has to do so much testing as he was not good at setting a car up so had to learn to drive around issues".

[John S]

Eddie Irvine once said "MS has to do so much testing as he was not good at setting a car up so had to learn to drive around issues".

Andy is that the same Eddie Irvine who fluffed his one & only chance at a WDC in 1999 the year Schumi was side lined for 7 races due to bad shunt at Silverstone.   

Oh - and the same Michael Schumacher who finished 5th in table from just 9 races in a 16 race schedule the same season. 

[Jericoke]

Eddie Irvine once said "MS has to do so much testing as he was not good at setting a car up so had to learn to drive around issues".

Doesn't really matter how you win, as long as you win.

(Unless you get caught cheating)

[Andy B]

Eddie Irvine once said "MS has to do so much testing as he was not good at setting a car up so had to learn to drive around issues".

Andy is that the same Eddie Irvine who fluffed his one & only chance at a WDC in 1999 the year Schumi was side lined for 7 races due to bad shunt at Silverstone.   

Oh - and the same Michael Schumacher who finished 5th in table from just 9 races in a 16 race schedule the same season. 

Yup That's the one! LOL
As I am sure you can tell I am not a huge MS fan I appreciate he was good but if he was that good why did he have to have team mates who had to give in to him and he is not a clean champion.