Lando Norris is ‘allowed’ to do something Mercedes blocked during Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg years

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Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have inevitably been cast as the next Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Indeed, it’s the first time since that infamous 2016 season that two teammates have gone head-to-head for the title.

McLaren are almost as dominant as Mercedes were back then. They have won 11 of the first 14 Grands Prix this year, taking 24 podiums from a possible 28.

That has given them a lead of 299 points in the constructors’ championship, with nearest challenger Max Verstappen 97 back in the drivers’. If there was any doubt at all, Hungary removed it – this is a two-horse race.

Norris and Piastri have thus far avoided the kind of fallout that struck Mercedes. But with just nine points separating the two drivers, the last 10 races look set to be extremely tense.

Zak Brown has decided that McLaren won’t impose Toto Wolff strategy rules

As pointed out by The Race, Mercedes’ initial policy during the Hamilton vs Rosberg years was that both drivers had to be on the same strategy. They felt this was the fairest arrangement.

The plan was established before the race, and ‘divergence was not really allowed’. Inevitably, this ‘annoyed’ both drivers at times, and it made track position vitally important.

By contrast, McLaren are happy to let their drivers call the shots from the cockpit. Norris, who was running fourth in the early stages of the Hungarian GP, was free to attempt a bold one-stop strategy.

The three cars ahead, including Piastri, all committed to the two-stopper. The Australian was given the option to experiment himself and hoped to use his fresher tyres to chase down Norris at the end.

He reached his teammate’s DRS zone, but never got his car alongside. Thus, Norris’ one-stop unexpectedly proved to be the quickest, though it was also a testament to his impressive tyre management.

Andrea Stella has ‘ruled out’ McLaren imposing strict rules on strategy choices, so this looks set to be a key theme for the remainder of the season.

Lando Norris vs Oscar Piastri – who is Lewis Hamilton, and who is Nico Rosberg?

Hamilton was a class above Rosberg in 2014 and 2015, but the German produced his most complete season in 2016. He built up a commanding early lead and held on until the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi as it fell to just five points.

The consensus was that Hamilton was slightly faster on top form, but Rosberg was praised for his greater consistency. McLaren may find themselves in the same scenario this year.

Charles Leclerc says Norris is ‘incredibly talented’ but needs to ‘put things together’. Piastri has placed fourth or higher in every competitive session, whereas the Englishman has missed out six times.