McLaren are to prioritise Lando Norris over team-mate Oscar Piastri in their bid to win both Formula 1 world championships this year. But team principal Andrea Stella said any actions taken to back Norris in the drivers’ title chase would happen only within the team’s principles of sportsmanship and fairness.
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Aston Martin has pulled off a massive coup by securing the services of Formula 1’s most highly-rated designer, Adrian Newey. The 65-year-old confirmed in May he had agreed to leave Red Bull at the beginning of next year. Ferrari was understood to be among the teams vying for his services.
However Newey has turned down the opportunity to form a ‘super-team’ at the Scuderia with seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Oliver Bearman will replace the suspended Kevin Magnussen at Haas for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Magnussen has been banned from the race in Baku on 13-15 September after exceeding Formula 1’s penalty-point limit. Bearman, who has already been signed as a Haas driver for 2025, will be taking part in his second grand prix.
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Charles Leclerc pulled off an extraordinary home win for Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix, ahead of the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Ferrari chose a one-stop strategy for Leclerc, improvising mid-race, to vault him in front of the McLarens – who chose the conventional two-stop approach. That left Leclerc hanging on in the closing laps from the rapidly closing McLarens and he just managed to resist them, winning by 2.6 seconds to send the tifosi in the grandstands wild.
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Lando Norris led Oscar Piastri to a McLaren one-two in Italian Grand Prix qualifying, with title rival Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in seventh. Norris’ second pole in a row – and fifth of his career – combined with Verstappen’s difficult session, was exactly what the Briton needed as he seeks to close the 70-point gap to the Dutchman in the championship.
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