Will Buxton shares ‘beginning of the end’ scenario for Lando Norris’s time at McLaren

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There are going to be two teams who draw the majority of the attention in the Formula 1 paddock during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The first is Red Bull are onlookers continue to question whether Max Verstappen has enough of an advantage in a struggling car to win his fourth Drivers’ Championship.

The other team is McLaren who have developed the fastest car on the grid but don’t have the results to show for it.

Lando Norris is still Verstappen’s closest rival in the standings but still has a 62-point gap to close with just eight race weekends remaining.

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

It’s going to take a monumental team effort from McLaren to help the Brit win his first championship and plenty of cooperation from Oscar Piastri even if he’s proven to be the quicker driver over recent Grand Prix.

Speaking on The Race Podcast, journalist and F1 TV presenter Will Buxton was discussing McLaren’s predicament.

Some teams – such as Red Bull with Verstappen and Sergio Perez – have a clear number one driver which means if team orders need to be enacted, both drivers know where they stand.

Norris and Piastri don’t have that relationship and Martin Brundle commented that Piastri’s move to take the lead at Monza highlights his feelings on his teammate’s championship challenge.

Buxton has suggested that if Piastri somehow manages to overtake Norris in the championship before the end of the season, that could be bad news for the 24-year-old’s long-term prospects with the team.

McLaren have hinted at a change in their papaya rules after Monza and they may be required to prevent the Australian from maximising his results at a detriment to Norris.

Will Buxton on what could spell ‘the beginning of the end’ for Lando Norris at McLaren

Talking about the two-time race winner, Buxton said: “Lando hasn’t put his stamp on it. He hasn’t gone out there and put in the kind of dominant, consistent performances that a world champion needs to do and he says he doesn’t want it handed to him.

“He doesn’t want to sort of sleepwalk into it, but I do also feel this is kind of a situation McLaren have made for themselves by not backing him.

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

“Lando is a very mindful character, he puts so much on himself. He overthinks everything, both what he does and what other people do.

“And I’m sure that every time they don’t back him, it’s working around in the back of his head. Why are they not backing me? What is the situation here?

“And if let’s say he misses out on the Drivers’ Championship by single points or Oscar has an amazing end to the season and finishes ahead of Lando in the Drivers’ Championship points.

“I think that’s the beginning of the end of Lando at McLaren.”

Red Bull have shown interest in both McLaren drivers

The driver’s market in 2024 has been frenetic but with the majority of teams securing their drivers for the new regulations in 2026, next season should be much calmer.

George Russell is the highest-profile driver whose contract expires next year but if Norris decides enough is enough at McLaren if they back Piastri then there’s one obvious landing spot for him.

Red Bull chief Helmut Marko has admitted he would love to hire Norris and Piastri in the future.

Verstappen’s long-term future at Red Bull is still unclear, especially given Mercedes’s interest in his services.

Norris was offered a contract at Toro Rosso before McLaren promoted him into an F1 race seat and could be part of an incredibly exciting driver merry-go-round.

It may also provide a seat for exciting youngster Gabriel Bortoleto at McLaren if he’s not signed by Sauber this year.