Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll has spoken of his desire to draw legendary designer Adrian Newey to his team.
Red Bull announced in May that Newey would leave in early 2025 after 19 years at the core of the team.
Aston Martin are reportedly set to announce a deal with the 65-year-old in the coming weeks, having emerged as the most likely destination for him, despite initial interest from Ferrari.
While Aston Martin had not previously spoken publicly about their talks with Newey, Stroll has made his admiration of him known.
"I certainly hope so. Adrian and I have been talking not only for months but actually for years," Stroll told Bloomberg.
"Adrian is clearly the most talented and gifted individual in Formula One, based on his track record and history.
"So, I'd be very excited for Adrian to join our team, as I think every other Formula One team on the grid would feel exactly the same.
"You can definitely assume that [I would pull out all the stops]."
Newey's decision to leave Red Bull was influenced by the tumultuous period behind the scenes for the reigning F1 constructors' champions.
Controversy surrounded team principal Christian Horner at the start of the season as he was accused of engaging in inappropriate controlling behaviour towards a female member of staff, accusations he denied and was cleared of following an independent investigation.
Newey will not have to serve a period of gardening leave and will be able to oversee the development of a 2026 car.
Jamaica's pride in motorsport, Fraser McConnell, is set to embark on his third season in Nitrocross.
Rounds 1 and 2 will take place at the new venue of Richmond Raceway in Virginia on September 7-8, 2024.
McConnell was impressive from the start in the 2023-24 season by winning the first round. He repeated his feat in round 5 in Phoenix and round 9 in Las Vegas while also making the podium in second place in round 6.
His exceptional performance culminated in the runner-up spot behind Robin Larsson, who claimed his second consecutive title, an improvement from his third-place finish in the 2022-23 season.
As McConnell enters his third season, the stakes are higher, and the determination is unwavering for Jamaica's current Motorsport Athlete of the Year.
"Last season was a thrilling experience, and I’m proud of what we achieved as a team. This year, I’m even more motivated to give it my absolute everything to put the black green and gold on the top spot," said McConnell. "The support from Jamaica and motorsport fans worldwide has been incredible, and I’m excited to give them more to cheer about this season while we plan to make every opportunity count and show the world what we can do."
The Richmond Raceway will be a new venue for the talented Jamaican, who's looking forward to the challenge.
"Racing at a new track to start the season is always an exciting challenge. It levels the playing field and pushes every driver to adapt quickly, and learning new tracks quickly is something that I am very comfortable with. I'm looking forward to testing my skills in Richmond and setting the pace for what I'm hoping will be another incredible season."
Nitrocross, known for its high-octane, adrenaline-pumping races, will feature 10 rounds over six venues from September 7 to March 2, with stops in Richmond, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Miami and Las Vegas.
Zak Brown insisted that McLaren's papaya rules were made to be bent after Monza reignited the debate over whether team orders are needed at the British-based team.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris claimed second and third behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with the latter enduring another poor start after securing pole in qualifying.
The Australian was able to make his way past his McLaren team-mate heading into Turn 4, with Piastri ultimately able to finish ahead of Norris at the end of the race.
However, McLaren recorded their fourth-best ever run of having one or both drivers on the podium (12), while also closing the gap in the constructors' championship.
The gap to Red Bull now stands at eight points ahead of Baku in two weeks, with Norris also closing the gap to Max Verstappen to 62 points in the drivers' championship.
But in allowing their drivers to fight, McLaren opened the door for Ferrari to pounce, but Brown defended Piastri's move on his team-mate in the opening exchanges.
“It was aggressive, it was an aggressive move [by Piastri],” Brown told Sky Sports F1 after the race.
“Their start was great and that was what we had discussed, kind of get behind the other and fan out to make sure nobody else could get by.
“I think Lando was caught by surprise with that move, thinking let’s just tuck into a one-two and see if we can pull a bit of a gap, so it’s something we’ll discuss internally.
“Papaya rules are it’s your team mate; race him hard, race him clean, don’t touch, that happened.
"It was an aggressive pass so that’s a conversation we’ll have, that was a bit nerve wracking on pit wall but it’s really just respect your team mate.
"Lando got a bad run out of that corner as well so it would have been nice to see them run one-two a bit longer.
"They didn’t touch, it was an aggressive pass but a clean pass.”
Despite McLaren's recent success, Ferrari's triumph at their home race has brought them back into contention for the constructors' championship and are just 31 points further back.
The British-based team have failed to win the title since 1998 when Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard worked together to deliver their eighth constructors' title.
However, Brown remained firm in his assessment that McLaren would not prioritise one driver over the other for the remaining eight races of the season.
“They are both young drivers who want to win. We have always believed in having two number ones," Brown said.
"That’s always been McLaren’s way, it can be difficult to manage – we’ve seen it with Senna and Prost.
“They get along great, they do race each other clean and it’s philosophical – are you a one-car team or a two-car team?
"The easiest thing would have been for Lando to just run away with it, and then not have to put difficult decisions on the pit wall, but Andrea and I are taking it one race at a time.”
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen will miss the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after being hit with a one-race ban due to exceeding the permitted number of penalty points in a year.
Magnussen, who finished 10th to secure the American-based team's first points since Silverstone, was involved in an incident with Alpine's Pierre Gasly.
The Dane attempted to overtake Gasly down the inside of Turn 4, but locked up and subsequently made contact with the Frenchman, who ended up finishing in 15th.
In their verdict, the stewards felt that Magnussen was “wholly to blame for” this, having deemed that he did not drive in a “safe and controlled manner through the manoeuvre”.
Stating a breach of Article 4.2 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations, the note reads: “The Super Licence of the driver of Car 20 is suspended for the next Competition of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship. Following this suspension, 12 penalty points will be removed.”
Haas team-mate Nico Hulkenberg was handed a 10-second time penalty for a coming together with the RB of Yuki Tsunoda.
The last driver to receive a race ban was Romain Grosjean back in 2012, when he was racing for Lotus, after he caused a multi-car crash at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix that season.
Lando Norris was left disappointed by Oscar Piastri's driving after the McLaren duo almost collided at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Norris claimed pole position once more in Monza but was overtaken on the first lap by Piastri, snatching the inside line at Turn 4.
The McLaren pair subsequently finished behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, though Piastri's racing tactics were questioned by Norris after the conclusion on Sky Sports.
"I feel he got way too close for comfort," Norris said. "We could both have easily been out in that first corner if I broke one metre later.
"If I could rewind, I would do stuff slightly differently. But it is what it is. Charles won by two seconds in the end and the fact he got ahead probably gained him two seconds over the course of the race.
"We couldn't achieve a one-stop as our degradation was too high on the front tyres. That is a weakness for us at the minute."
Having failed to close the gap on Leclerc, Piastri finished second and a place ahead of Norris, with the trio sitting together at the post-race drivers' press conference.
When pressed on his earlier criticism of Piastri, Norris attempted to explain his warning, though conceded the difficulties in making split-second decisions.
"Just brake a bit later, simple as that. But sometimes it's easier said than done," Norris said.
"Oscar obviously braked on the limit and gave me space, there was just about enough. I did my best to avoid anything else happening at the time.
"At the same time, If I brake two metres later, you don't know and you can't predict, but it could easily have been a crash. It's a tough one. The easiest thing is just to brake way later and force him off, and kind of treat it like no one else.
"I obviously took it easy. I saw we had a massive gap behind, so maybe I was just a bit too much on the cautious side and paid the price."
Australia's Piastri, however, saw the incident somewhat differently.
"I broke later and got around the outside," Piastri said. "There wasn't really much more to it than that.
"We both got through it unscathed. I knew once I hit the brakes I kind of got ahead a bit and knew I was entitled to stay on the outside.
"For 38 laps, it put me in a race-winning position. So it was just a good first lap."
Charles Leclerc was able to savour a "special" double on Sunday, triumphing at the Italian Grand Prix to ensure he won both of his favourite races in the same season.
Leclerc edged out McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris for a spectacular win at Monza, racing from fourth on the grid to repeat his 2019 triumph at the venue.
Only Michael Schumacher (five) has won the Italian Grand Prix while driving for Ferrari on more occasions, with Leclerc's second victory drawing him level with Rubens Barrichello, Phil Hill, Alberto Ascari and Clay Regazzoni.
Sunday's win came after Leclerc claimed a home victory at the Monaco Grand Prix in May, ensuring 2024 will be a season that lives long in the memory for the Scuderia driver.
"It is an incredible feeling," he said after the podium celebrations.
"I thought the second time, if there was a second time, would not feel as special as the first, but the emotions over the last few laps were the same as in 2019.
"I want to win Monza and Monaco every year and I have managed to do so. It is so, so special."
Sitting third in the drivers' championship standings, Leclerc now has a 20-point lead over fourth-placed Piastri and is just 23 points adrift of Norris, who has been tipped to push Max Verstappen for the title.
Asked if Ferrari can continue to battle for victories in the closing stages of the season, he said: "I don't know.
"Our package was working well on a track like Monza but whether it will be the same for the rest of the season, I doubt it.
"I still think McLaren are favourites but we have done a step forwards, that's for sure. Baku is a pretty nice track for me, so maybe we can achieve something special there."
Charles Leclerc handed Ferrari a home victory at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, beating McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at Monza.
Looking to cut the gap to drivers' championship leader Max Verstappen, Norris entered the race as favourite after qualifying fastest, only to be overtaken by team-mate Piastri on the opening lap.
Leclerc started from fourth but quickly found himself battling the McLarens for the lead after Mercedes' George Russell locked up on the opening lap, and the Monegasque sent the home fans into raptures by passing Norris at the second chicane.
Norris later undertook Leclerc to once more give McLaren hope of a one-two, with team engineers encouraging the two team-mates to race one another cleanly for victory.
However, Leclerc's one-stop strategy paid off as the McLaren drivers pitted for a second time, and he held off a late push from Piastri to triumph by 2.6 seconds.
It is Leclerc's second victory at the Italian Grand Prix, which he also won in 2019, and team-mate Carlos Sainz held off future Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton to finish fourth.
There was yet more disappointment for Verstappen, who saw his lead in the standings cut to 62 points as he finished sixth, ahead of Russell and fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.
Data Debrief: Tifosi celebrate landmark triumph
Leclerc's victory was Ferrari's 20th at the Italian Grand Prix, just the second instance of a team reaching that figure at a single venue in Formula One.
The Scuderia previously achieved that feat themselves in Germany, where they have won 21 times.
Leclerc now holds a 20-point lead over Piastri in the drivers' standings, sitting third behind title contenders Verstappen and Norris.
Top 10
1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Lando Norris (McLaren)
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7. George Russell (Mercedes)
8. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
9. Alex Albon (Williams)
10. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Lewis Hamilton acknowledged he felt "emotional" and "surreal" after Kimi Antonelli was announced as his Mercedes replacement for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
The 18-year-old will join George Russell on the grid next year after a signing a one-year contract to fill the void left by Hamilton, who agreed a move to Ferrari at the start of the year.
Antonelli will become the third youngest F1 driver of all-time when he makes his competitive debut at the season-opener in Australia next March at 18 years and 203 days old, with only Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll younger in their first starts.
Hamilton had long been aware of the impending announcement, but admitted the reality of the situation still feels strange.
"I've known for ages, but I knew it would be announced [on Saturday]," he said. "I definitely woke up, and it was very surreal, just to have it officially confirmed my seat is going and that I've held onto it for so long," Hamilton said.
"I was quite emotional [on Saturday morning], but really happy for Kimi and for this team. I know Kimi is going to do a great job."
Hamilton will start this weekend's Italian Grand Prix sixth on the grid, while he also occupies sixth place in the Drivers' Championship having won the British Grand Prix and finished second at the Belgian Grand Prix this term.
And the seven-time world champion says he has felt a great deal of emotion heading into every race during the campaign.
"It's been there all year. Every single race, we have turned up," he added. "I love my team so much, and we have been through a hell of a lot together.
"So, it will be emotional every single race, because every race we do is the last time at that particular race and, every race, we get closer and closer to the last time I'll be in a Mercedes, and that is tough, it's definitely going to be tough.
"My focus now is to try and do the best job I can for the team and finish on a high."
Lando Norris admitted his pole position at the Italian Grand Prix was "a surprise" after McLaren secured a second qualifying one-two of the season at Monza.
Norris, who is aiming to become the first McLaren driver since Lewis Hamilton in 2010 to win consecutive races, looks good to close the gap to championship leader Max Verstappen, who finished in seventh.
The Briton was just 0.109 seconds ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri, with Mercedes' George Russell 0.113s off the pace in third after an incredibly tight Saturday session.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were fourth and fifth for Ferrari at the team's home event, with Hamilton in sixth.
Sergio Perez enjoyed a better qualifying session this time around and will start the race in eighth, while Alex Albon and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10.
Norris pipped Piastri by just 0.035s on his first lap in the top-10 shootout, before improving his time on his second attempt despite not being happy with his lap.
"To have a first and second when the field is as tight as it has been all weekend is a little bit of a surprise, but a nice one," Norris said.
"My lap, it hurts me to say it, was not a great lap. My first one was. But still good enough for pole and still very happy.
"There are a lot of quick drivers behind in quick cars, so I am not expecting an easy race. Plenty of question marks but a lot of excitement, I'm sure."
Verstappen, however, struggled with balance in the final qualifying session, having been expected to battle the two McLarens after a strong showing in Q2.
The three-time champion described the car as "shocking" at one point, and will have to come from midfield to claim a first win since the Spanish Grand Prix.
Should the Dutchman fail to win at Monza, it will be the first time since the 2020 season he has gone six races without a victory. He had a run of 11 winless races in a row that year from Spain to Sakhir.
"Q3 was very bad on both of my tyre sets. I just picked up a lot of understeer so I couldn't attack any corners any more," Verstappen said.
"I had to back it out a lot mid-corner and you lose a lot of lap time like that.
"Somehow in Q2 it wasn’t that bad. I did a 1:19.6 at that point and we were almost the quickest. We know our limitations and problems but at that point I think we had it fairly under control.
"But I went into Q3 and the balance was completely out, and I don't really understand how that happened."
Qualifying results
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. George Russell (Mercedes)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
7. Max Versappen (Red Bull)
8. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
9. Alex Albon (Williams)
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
Mercedes have confirmed that 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli will replace Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Antonelli, who made his debut in practice at the Italian Grand Prix on Friday, will join George Russell on the grid next year and has signed a one-year contract.
The teenager's first appearance on track, however, was overshadowed after a crash in the early stages of the session halted a positive start at Monza.
He will become the third youngest F1 driver of all-time when he makes his competitive debut at the season-opener in Australia next March at 18 years and 203 days old, with only Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll younger in their first starts.
Antonelli was linked with a potential move to Williams to replace Logan Sargeant for the remainder of the 2024 season, but will continue the rest of his Formula 2 campaign with Prema racing.
“It is an amazing feeling to be announced as a Mercedes works driver alongside George for 2025,” said Antonelli.
“Reaching F1 is a dream I’ve had since I was a small boy; I want to thank the team for the support they’ve given me in my career so far and the faith they’ve shown in me.
"I am still learning a lot, but I feel ready for the opportunity. I will be focused on getting better and delivering the best possible results for the team."
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said: “Our 2025 driver line-up combines experience, talent, youth and out-and-out raw speed.
"We are excited about what George and Kimi bring to the team both as individual drivers, but also as a partnership.
“Our new line-up is perfect to open the next chapter in our story. It is also a testament to the strength of our junior programme and our belief in home-grown talent.
“George has proved that he is one of the very best drivers in the world. He is not only fast, consistent, and determined, but has also developed into a strong leader.
“Kimi has consistently shown the talent and speed needed to compete at the very top of our sport.
"We know it will be another big step up, but he has impressed us in his F1 testing this year and we will be supporting him every step of the way."
Mercedes have confirmed that 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli will replace Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Antonelli, who made his debut in practice at the Italian Grand Prix on Friday, will join George Russell on the grid next year and has signed a one-year contract.
The teenager's first appearance on track, however, was overshadowed after a crash in the early stages of the session halted a positive start at Monza.
He will become the third youngest F1 driver of all-time when he makes his competitive debut at the season-opener in Australia next March at 18 years and 203 days old, with only Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll younger in their first starts.
Antonelli was linked with a potential move to Williams to replace Logan Sargeant for the remainder of the 2024 season, but will continue the rest of his Formula 2 campaign with Prema racing.
“It is an amazing feeling to be announced as a Mercedes works driver alongside George for 2025,” said Antonelli.
“Reaching F1 is a dream I’ve had since I was a small boy; I want to thank the team for the support they’ve given me in my career so far and the faith they’ve shown in me.
"I am still learning a lot, but I feel ready for the opportunity. I will be focused on getting better and delivering the best possible results for the team."
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said: “Our 2025 driver line-up combines experience, talent, youth and out-and-out raw speed.
"We are excited about what George and Kimi bring to the team both as individual drivers, but also as a partnership.
“Our new line-up is perfect to open the next chapter in our story. It is also a testament to the strength of our junior programme and our belief in home-grown talent.
“George has proved that he is one of the very best drivers in the world. He is not only fast, consistent, and determined, but has also developed into a strong leader.
“Kimi has consistently shown the talent and speed needed to compete at the very top of our sport.
"We know it will be another big step up, but he has impressed us in his F1 testing this year and we will be supporting him every step of the way."
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says he and Max Verstappen have agreed to keep communications open with a view to a potential blockbuster move in the future.
Verstappen has emerged as the dominant force in Formula One since beating Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton to his first drivers' championship title in 2021, winning two further crowns and leading Lando Norris in the standings this year.
However, the Dutchman has repeatedly cast doubt upon his long-term future with Red Bull, suggesting ahead of last week's Dutch Grand Prix that he was more than halfway through his F1 career.
When Hamilton confirmed he would join Ferrari for 2025 in January, Mercedes were strongly linked with a move for Verstappen amid a turbulent time for Red Bull.
Red Bull chief Christian Horner was accused – and later cleared – of sexual harassment and coercive behaviour by a female team employee, with his relationship with Verstappen reportedly becoming strained.
Wolff admits there was a moment where the deal seemed possible, though Mercedes are now expected to confirm Andrea Kimi Antonelli as George Russell's team-mate for 2025.
"Red Bull was the dominant car at the beginning of the season," Wolff told BBC Sport. "And that changed a bit. It's Max Verstappen dominant at the moment.
"And the relationships were dysfunctional. I'm not sure they are back in a great place, but it is what it is.
"There was a moment, or there was an opportunity, to at least have conversations of what it could be in the future, and this is what we did."
Asked if Verstappen could join the Silver Arrows for 2026, when wide-ranging regulation changes take effect, Wolff responded: "Much too early.
"For the benefit of our drivers next year, I don't want to have any conversations about 2026 or beyond, because we very much hope that the 2025 lineup will be the lineup going forward.
"We have not given each other any, let's say, timings.
"It is more like, keep the communication channel open, while knowing that his priority is to make it function with Red Bull and our priority will be to make it function with the two drivers we have."
Lewis Hamilton believes Kimi Antonelli is his perfect replacement at Mercedes ahead of his move to Ferrari for the 2025 Formula One season.
Hamilton, who has the equal most wins at Monza alongside Michael Schumacher (five), will race for Mercedes for the final time around the iconic track on Sunday.
But there have been consistent rumours of who will replace him on the grid for the Silver Arrows next season, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen even touted for a shock move.
However, it appears 18-year-old Antonelli, who has risen through the Mercedes junior programme, will be given the nod to join George Russell next year.
The Italian will replace Russell in the first practice session on Friday, and Hamilton is excited to see how he deals with the step up from Formula Two.
"I said a long time ago that I think that is who the team should choose moving forwards," Hamilton said. "Obviously, time will tell what they end up deciding to do.
"He is one of those young super talented kids that has come through. He's only 18, but I think it will be good for people to know that he has only just turned 18.
"He's got a bright future ahead of him and I am really excited to see his progress.
Antonelli's impending move to Mercedes showcases the Silver Arrows' plan for the future, but his showings in F2 this season suggest there is an element of risk involved.
He currently sits seventh in the standings, but has won twice in recent weeks at Silverstone and the Hungaroring that showcases he has the ability to make the step up.
And Hamilton is confident that Antonelli will flourish under the guidance of the team that have helped him win six of his seven world championship titles.
"We have been watching him through the different formulas and naturally he is a Mercedes driver. We are starting to see a lot of young drivers coming through and we are in that time now where there are only 20 seats and we are starting to see this new wave come through.
"In terms of taking on another driver that has had many years of experience as opposed of giving an opportunity to a youngster, that is what McLaren did for me and it worked out well.
"In my opinion, it's an opportunity for him to grow. He's going to get to work with the best in class and the people that I have worked with for so many years.
"It is a lot of weight on someone's shoulders, but I think it's a great environment that they will be able to nurture him and carry him through."
This weekend will also mark Hamilton's final race in Italy before his move to Ferrari.
The Briton will be replacing the outgoing Carlos Sainz, who has since joined Williams, lining up alongside Charles Leclerc for the 2025 campaign.
"I don't know, it definitely does feel a little bit different," Hamilton said. "I mean, it always feels special when you come here. There's always such incredible passion throughout Italy, just in general, but particularly about racing.
"It's always exciting to see the fans at the end of the weekend, it's a passionate event, and the excitement that they bring to this race is really not particularly matched in any way."
DRIVERS TO WATCH
Lando Norris - McLaren
After securing his second career win in F1, Lando Norris will be looking to chase down Verstappen at the top of the drivers' championship standings in Monza.
Norris has the chance to win two races in a row after his victory in the Netherlands and should he succeed, he will be the first McLaren driver to do so since Lewis Hamilton in 2010, in Turkey and Canada.
The race this weekend will also mark the Britons' 120th for McLaren, becoming the 13th driver to reach this milestone with a single team in history, but the first to do so with 100% of his Grand Prix career in the competition.
Norris would also become the first McLaren driver to achieve three wins in a single season for the first time since 2012, a year that both Jenson Button (three) and Hamilton (four) managed to do so.
But McLaren will also be looking to make up ground in the constructors' championship. They have had one or both of their drivers on the podium in each of the last 11 Formula 1 races.
Should they repeat in Italy, it will be their fourth best-ever run in the competition (12) behind only the 19 between Australia 2007 and Malaysia 2008, and the 13 twice between the United States and Portugal in 1990, and Germany 2011 and China 2012.
Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
Having gone five races without a podium finish since his historic win at Monaco back in May, Ferrari's Leclerc has seemingly found his groove again for the Italian team.
Leclerc has produced back-to-back podium finishes in Zandvoort and Spa, but in that time, has relinquished second place in the drivers' championship to Norris.
Still only 33 points behind the McLaren driver, Leclerc has the opportunity to close the gap at the top of the standings in Ferrari's home race.
He can beat his score from last season if he finishes on the podium in Italy (192 in 2024 currently compared to 206 in 2023). Leclerc also has his second best points average (12.8), after his 14 points average in 2022.
Ferrari have 19 wins at the Italian Grand Prix. If they repeat in this edition, it will be the second time a team have achieved 20 wins in a single Grand Prix after themselves in Germany (21), although they have not won at Monza since 2019, with Leclerc starting from pole position.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 295
Lando Norris (McLaren) - 225
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 192
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 179
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 172
Constructors
Red Bull - 434
McLaren - 404
Ferrari - 370
Mercedes - 276
Aston Martin - 74
Andrea Stella insisted that placing full focus on Lando Norris as McLaren's number one driver was "not a good approach" for the last nine races of the Formula 1 season.
Norris, who won his second career race at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend, closed the gap to Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship to 70 points.
His dominance was emphasised by the result, finishing 22.896 seconds in front of Verstappen, the largest winning margin by a driver since Lewis Hamilton in 2021.
Norris' McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri finished fourth in Zandvoort, largely blamed for being caught up in traffic, which meant finishing behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
The Australian currently has 179 points in the drivers' championship standings, 46 behind Norris, and claimed his maiden win in the competition in Hungary back in July.
However, the triumph did not come without its controversy, with Norris initially ignoring team orders to hand first place back to Piastri before eventually cooperating.
Zak Brown said afterwards that deciding whether to install a number one driver was up to Stella, but the Italian said the pair would be treated equally.
"I think when it comes to these conversations about being the number one, I don't think that's a good way of approaching racing," Stella said.
"We'd rather approach racing from fairness, integrity, and then see what come from this kind of approach."
Piastri is the current driver on the grid with the best run of Grand Prix's finished (19). If he finishes in Monza, he will become only the second McLaren driver to finish 20 races in a row in F1 after his current team-mate Norris (21 between Abu Dhabi 2022 and Sao Paulo 2023).
McLaren's improvements have seen them have one or both of their drivers on the podium in the last 11 races.
The Italian Grand Prix offers the team a chance to record their fourth best-ever run in the competition (12), with eyes on their first constructors' title since 1998.
"The first target is to win the Constructors' Championship," Piastri said.
"I think naturally, if we're closing the gap in the constructors', there's probably a good chance that we're both closing it in the drivers' [championship] as well.
"I'm not that far behind Lando in the standings either, so of course if the call comes later in the year and it's a realistic shot, then I'll do my part for the team.
"But I think at the moment, the gap is big for both of us so we'll focus on just trying to do the best job that we can and see where we end up a bit later in the year.
"I think for me the biggest thing is just trying to maximise every weekend.
That gives the team the most opportunities for the constructors', that gives me the most opportunities for whatever occurs in the drivers' standings.
"If there's an opportunity for myself to win the drivers' standings, then I'll try my best to make sure I'm there."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
