Jenson Button tells McLaren to copy Michael Schumacher Ferrari tactic to win both F1 championships

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McLaren will be very excited about the next two months with both Formula 1 championships in their sights.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have both driven exceptionally well this season and the McLaren team have built the fastest car on the grid.

Not only that, but McLaren have nailed the balance of the car, something that almost all of their rivals have struggled with throughout the campaign.

That has meant that team principal Andrea Stella has had to make some very tough decisions, but at this point, they’ve paid off.

McLaren’s lead in the Constructors’ Championship currently stands at 41 points over Red Bull and they’re being forced to look over their shoulders at the approaching Ferrari rather than concentrate on winning a third consecutive title.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

In the Drivers’ Championship, Norris has to overcome a 52-point deficit to earn his first championship ahead of Max Verstappen, and speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, former McLaren driver and world champion Jenson Button has told the team what they need to do to make that happen.

Jenson Button tells McLaren to use Michael Schumacher tactic to win the 2024 F1 world championship

McLaren’s strategy calls have been questioned at times this season, having allowed Norris and Piastri to race throughout the campaign.

This has seen Piastri handed his first Grand Prix victory in Hungary after a strange pit-stop call from the team, and the Australian getting the better of Norris on the first lap at Monza.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

Button was asked about this approach to racing with two titles on the line and said: “I love that there are no team orders because as a racing driver, you hate them.

“But at some point, if you want to win a world championship, you need to favour one driver, especially at this point in the championship where every single point counts right now for Lando, if he has any opportunity on becoming a world champion in 2024, he needs every single point.

“And that’s even using Oscar to grab the fastest lap if Max has got it in a race.

“So it’s a really tricky situation for a driver, for drivers in a team and for a team. But it’s got to happen.

“That’s the reason why Ferrari won so many world championships with Michael Schumacher.

“In a way, why [Sebastian] Vettel was able to win so many world championships.

“I think that sometimes you’ve got to bite the bullet and you need to, you need to favour one driver, especially at this point of the season.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

“Yeah, Oscar’s done an amazing job this year. But Lando has more points and a good amount more points.

“So if the team want to win, not just the constructors, but the drivers as well this year, that’s what’s going to have to happen.”

Oscar Piastri ready to play the team game for McLaren and Lando Norris this season

Piastri is undoubtedly one of the most talented drivers on the grid which is even more exciting when you consider his age.

Although Norris is only a year older than the Australian, he’s vastly more experienced in F1 and that’s made the difference during this season to make him the lead McLaren driver heading into the final six race weekends.

McLaren’s papaya rules meant Piastri and Norris could race in Italy, but the team have now changed their stance knowing how close Norris could get to catching Verstappen.

Piastri has admitted that he will take steps to help Norris between now and the end of the season, but McLaren have to hope that the points they’ve already missed out on by not swapping their two drivers doesn’t end up costing them.

It’s something Schumacher wouldn’t have allowed at Ferrari, with Rubens Barrichello the ultimate number two driver in that scenario, even if he didn’t want to admit it.