Formula One F1 - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - December 4, 2025 McLaren's Lando Norris and McLaren's Oscar Piastri before a press conference ahead of Abu Dhabi Grand Prix REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki
ABU DHABI, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Lando Norris will not ask McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to gift him the Formula One title even if that is the only way he can beat Max Verstappen in Sunday's Abu Dhabi season-ender.
The Briton said, however, that he would be willing to do so if the roles were reversed -- although that is not mathematically possible this time.
Norris leads Red Bull's four-times champion Verstappen by 12 points with Australian Piastri a further four behind.
The three title contenders appeared together at a news conference at the Yas Marina circuit on Thursday, with Verstappen much the more relaxed.
NORRIS NOT GOING TO ASK FOR HELP
Norris was asked to consider a scenario where Verstappen was leading the race with Piastri third and him fourth. In that case, the reigning champion would retain his crown -- unless the McLaren drivers switched positions.
Would Norris ask Piastri, or McLaren, to do that?
"I don't think I would ask it because ...I don't know ... it's up to Oscar if he would allow it. I don't think it's necessarily down to me," said Norris.
"It's the same if it's the other way around. Would I be willing to or not? Personally, I think I would just because I feel like I'm always like that and that's just how I am.
"I'm not going to ask it, I don't want to ask it because I don't think it's necessarily a fair question," he added.
"At the same time if that's how it ends and Max wins, then well. That's it. Congrats to him and look forward to next year. It doesn't change anything. It doesn't change my life. He will deserve it over us."
Piastri said the matter had not been discussed.
Mercedes' George Russell, twice a winner this season who could play his part in the title battle by getting between the contenders, suggested the Australian should unplug the radio in his car.
"I think it would be unfair for either driver to give (up) places,” Russell told reporters. “If Max wins, he deserves to win. I wouldn’t want to win a championship because my teammate has pulled over, especially if he’s been my rival that year."
McLaren principal Andrea Stella told reporters after last Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix, where a strategy bungle denied Piastri a win and Norris a podium place, that the team's approach to racing would not change but there would be conversations this week.
He emphasised, however, that McLaren, already crowned constructors' champions for a second year in a row, wanted to win both titles in the same season for the first time since 1998.
"What's important for us is that we are in condition to beat Verstappen with one of our two drivers," he said.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Ken Ferris)
