McLaren clinched the Constructors’ Championship after Lando Norris won in Abu Dhabi in a lights-to-flag victory.
The British driver was under significant pressure throughout the 58-lap race of the Yas Marina Circuit, with Carlos Sainz hunting him down.
Charles Leclerc charged through the field from near the back of the grid after a lacklustre qualifying and 10-place grid drop for a battery change ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Norris had to stay ahead of Sainz, as if he had made a mistake and let the Ferrari driver through, and the championship could have been in balance.
McLaren’s CEO Zak Brown conveyed a very clear message to the drivers before the race and urged Piastri to be wary of two drivers in particular.
Zak Brown told Oscar Piastri to ‘protect against’ Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen
McLaren had critically locked out the front row with Norris on pole position and Piastri alongside him in second place.
This was vital for McLaren and it would have been a big step to lead into Turn 1 before going on to hold the advantage over the first lap.
Both McLaren’s got a good start, but Piastri was collected by Max Verstappen at Turn 1, who optimistically lunged up the inside.
READ MORE: Nico Rosberg concerned by Lando Norris’ ‘unnecessary’ Abu Dhabi Grand Prix radio before 2025 F1 season
This move saw the Red Bull driver receive a penalty as both cars lost time, which opened the door for Leclerc to gain places.
Brown wants to see McLaren’s drivers be aggressive with Verstappen as the Dutchman has pushed the boundaries in wheel-to-wheel combat.
He explained on The High Performance podcast that he urged Norris and Piastri to be wary of Verstappen in particular as well as Sainz.
The American said: “We sat down with the drivers and discussed. We were never worried about the two of them racing each other and doing something silly because they’ve been awesome. The two years they’ve been racing together, they raced each other hard, but they’ve never done anything silly.
“It was more about how do we protect against Carlos, who’s coming, Max, who’s coming. Who obviously, came a little bit too hard and over cooked It was more about how do we get through the corner first and second and help because it’s a long straight.
“The second sector was our weak spot, if you’d like, and with cars bunched up and everyone getting a draft with everyone being so close, it was imperative that we didn’t just get to turn one, first and second, but we got out cleanly. We spoke pretty much about that.”
Lando Norris in particular has to be more uncompromising on the track
Norris has suffered this season due to a lack of decisiveness in wheel-to-wheel combat which cost him points in the title battle.
The McLaren driver got a penalty at the United States Grand Prix when he was judged to have passed Verstappen off the track.
Nico Rosberg advised Norris to push for a rule change to tweak the guidelines around combat and where drivers can place their cars, which may help him get on terms with Verstappen.
Norris is under pressure from his teammate Piastri, who continues to develop at McLaren and be reliable behind the wheel and the Australian could be a significant threat next year.
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