McLaren looks on course to clinch their first Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since the 1998 season.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have locked out the front row of the grid, with the Briton securing his eighth pole of the season which has equalled Max Verstappen’s total for the season.
McLaren has showed dominating pace all weekend at the Yas Marina Circuit, and will be wanting to end their strong season on a high with a one-two finish.
After observing his back-to-back qualifying performances in both Qatar and Abu Dhabi, Peter Windsor has questioned how Norris is not currently in the hunt for the Drivers’ Championship when speaking on his YouTube livestream.
Peter Windsor questions why Lando Norris is currently not in title battle
A big talking point this season within McLaren has been the ‘papaya rules’ team orders, which were first enacted at the Hungarian GP when Norris was told to concede position to Piastri.
Piastri has taken a lot of points away from his teammate, although it has to be said that Norris has also made a lot of mistakes in his title battle with Max Verstappen.
Windsor believes Norris should still be in the title hunt, given how he was two tenths faster than any non-McLaren car during qualifying for the Abu Dhabi GP.
“When you see McLaren’s domination now and you think about the races they have won and how they’ve won them, you still think how did Lando manage to lose the Drivers’ Championship in Vegas?” said Windsor.
“It comes back to the way they managed Lando from the Hungarian GP onwards, in a car that good he should still be in the running for the championship.”
Can McLaren clinch the Constructors’ Championship?
It is looking likely that McLaren will become the first team other than Mercedes or Red Bull since Brawn GP in 2009 to clinch a Constructors’ Championship in F1.
Ferrari is 21 points behind them and while Carlos Sainz is third on the grid, they have to contend with Charles Leclerc starting from P19 due to him taking a third Energy Store component and incurring a 10-place grid penalty.
READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine
Drivers are only allowed two Energy Store components in a season, with any new components added to the pool leading to the grid penalty.
Ferrari’s title hopes rest on McLaren having a tough race, while Leclerc will need to battle his way through the field if he wants to keep their chances alive.
