Mario Andretti says McLaren may favor Norris

The erstwhile satellite champion from 1978, Mario Andretti, drew attraction to himself again by saying that McLaren whitethorn beryllium giving much enactment to Lando Norris than to his teammate Oscar Piastri. As helium said, it is not an accusation, but his idiosyncratic impression, but adjacent specified a connection caused a batch of comments astir the adjacent attraction of the 2 drivers.

Doubts astir adjacent treatment

While Max Verstappen continues to combat for the title, the McLaren duo remains successful the nationalist eye. The Australian presently has a 22-point advantage, but successful six of the past 8 races, Norris has been much palmy and collected much points. This has sparked speech that the Woking squad whitethorn beryllium leaning much towards the British driver.

In Monza, for example, owed to a dilatory stop, Norris remained down Piatri, truthful the bid came from the pits for the Australian to springiness up his position. McLaren aboriginal clarified that Norris had the close to that presumption due to the fact that his workfellow "stopped excessively early" and thereby made an undercut. The 2nd clip tensions arose successful Singapore, wherever Norris aggressively entered the archetypal country astatine the commencement and touched his colleague's car. Piastri instantly complained implicit the radio, but determination was nary punishment oregon absorption from the team.

Speaking astatine the Trento Sports Festival, the legendary 85-year-old gave his opinion: "Verstappen is precise strong. I similar Piastre for his determination, but it seems to maine that astatine McLaren, for immoderate reason, I don't cognize why, they favour Lando Norris," Andretti told Corriere della Sera.

What gives peculiar value to his words is that it is Andretti who is the idol of Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, with whom helium shares American roots and a akin presumption connected sports. In the aforesaid week, the proceedings betwixt Andretti Autosport and Alex Palou took spot successful London, which further attracted nationalist attention.

In the end, Andretti reminded that bringing successful Oscar Piastri successful 2022 was not Brown's decision, but the past squad brag Andreas Seidl's, which further raises the question of the equilibrium of powerfulness wrong the team. Woking inactive did not remark connected his statement, but determination are already rumors successful the paddock astir a imaginable imbalance among young drivers.