Horner predicts team orders may create confusion for McLaren

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes McLaren could still face "confusion" and "headaches" regarding team orders as the 2024 Formula 1 season nears its conclusion. This speculation follows McLaren's remarkable rise to the top of the constructors' standings after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday.

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri captured his first career victory in Baku, while teammate Lando Norris secured an essential fourth-place finish, outperforming Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Conversely, Red Bull's Sergio Pérez endured a race-ending crash. These developments have propelled McLaren to a 20-point lead over Red Bull in the constructors' championship, thereby ending Red Bull's impressive streak of 55 consecutive races at the summit.

Norris trails Verstappen by 59 points in the drivers' championship with seven races remaining, having narrowed the gap by 19 points over the last three races.

Ahead of the race weekend in Baku, McLaren announced it would prioritize Norris over Piastri in 50/50 situations to enhance Norris' title prospects. However, Horner believes this strategy has only sowed further confusion among McLaren’s drivers.

"Usually those things are dealt with behind closed doors," said Horner. "I'm not actually sure what those rules are. There still seems confusion. Every team is different. Our rules of engagement are very clear and what the focus until the end of the year is. We've got a driver that's fighting for a world championship. It's a team sport. So it's very clear that Checo's job is to support Max until the end of the year."

Horner expressed surprise at McLaren not firmly backing Norris earlier in the season.

"When you've got an asset like Max Verstappen, you don't make him a No. 2 driver," Horner noted. "Lando Norris, they are paying five times what they pay Oscar, so I would assume that he would be their No. 1 driver, or the biggest asset. The confusion comes when you are not upfront from the beginning about what your plans are."

Horner believes Piastri's noteworthy performances are complicating McLaren's situation, drawing parallels to Daniel Ricciardo's unexpected success at Red Bull in 2014.

"The other one [Piastri] is causing them headaches because he's winning races and he's doing a very good job," said Horner. "It was like when Daniel Ricciardo came to us, he was clearly supposed to be the No. 2 to Sebastian Vettel, and he won three races that year to Sebastian's none. Sometimes it causes you a headache like that."

Horner elaborated on the challenges of managing a situation where the supposed second driver outperforms the primary driver, as seen with Mercedes and Ferrari in the past.

"It becomes a very difficult problem to manage, because you split the team and the rules of engagement become very difficult. Everybody knows probably who the number one and two is, but if you're not upfront with the drivers, you end up with confusion," he explained. "At the beginning of the season obviously it's all open but certainly when you get to around the half-way point, you've got to pick a horse. Especially if you're in a championship battle."

Despite the setback in the constructors' championship, Horner remains optimistic about Red Bull's chances.

"We took a big hit in the constructors' today," he conceded. "We've got a 20-point deficit now so we've got to attack. Still got seven races to go, two sprint races to go. There's a lot of points up for grabs and a lot of different circuits coming up, so it's far from over."

As the season progresses, all eyes will be on McLaren to see how they navigate their internal team dynamics and if Red Bull can reclaim their position at the top.

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