Oscar Piastri says he is still willing to aid Lando Norris in his Formula 1 title bid despite finishing ahead of the Brit in Azerbaijan last week.
McLaren jumped to the top of the constructors championship ahead of Red Bull after Norris fought back to fourth from the back of the grid, one place ahead of rival Max Verstappen.
Norris needs to continue beating the Dutchman if he is to catch him in the standings and Piastri remains keen to help him where he can and is even more motivated after picking up his second Formula 1 win.
Speaking ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix this week, the Australian driver said: “Lando is still ahead in the championship and just being honest has a more realistic chance of winning the championship.
“If I am in a position to still win races, that’s what I want to do. But naturally if there are times I can help out for Lando’s championship bid, then I’ll be happy to help if I can.”
Norris remains 59 points behind Verstappen, with Piastri 32 points further back.
McLaren have publicly admitted they will change their strategy to favour Norris, having previously allowed both drivers to race under ‘Papaya rules’.
Clocking in for media day. 👋#SINGAPOREGP 🇸🇬 PIC.TWITTER.COM/BDFOWIVKKT
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) SEPTEMBER 19, 2024
And with Verstappen having not won for seven races, he is expecting another difficult race in Singapore.
He added: “Our car is generally not very good on bumps and kerbs and that’s what we have here.
“We have to try and stabilise it. I am confident we can do a better job than last year but the competition has improved quite a bit. I am definitely targeting Q3 but let’s see where we end up.”
