Nico Rosberg has urged McLaren to seize the opportunity to turn the screw on Red Bull with the team now being in position to challenge for the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.
Lando Norris closed the gap to reigning champion and title-race leader Max Verstappen to 62 points following his third place at the Italian Grand Prix, while McLaren are now just eight points behind Red Bull in the constructors’ standings.
However, the team had to settle for second and third at Monza despite a qualifying one-two after Oscar Piastri overtook pole-sitter Norris around the outside.
Norris was forced off line and lost a further place to eventual winner Charles Leclerc, and 2016 world champion Rosberg warned McLaren cannot afford to waste the chance to capitalise on Red Bull’s struggles.
“I think McLaren should be impatient, because they have a shot at getting the Constructors’ Championship here and the Drivers’ Championship,” Rosberg told The Sky Sports F1 Podcast. “There’s a sniff of a real, real chance here.
“And you don’t know, come next year, Mercedes might be super, or Ferrari might continue the progress they’re having, so you cannot just be patient and all ‘let’s just build it up for next year’.
“I really think they should be impatient and seize the moment, maximize the moment, pounce on Red Bull’s weaknesses and go for it. You never know if you get a second chance.”
Piastri, who is currently fourth in the drivers’ standings and 44 points behind Norris, was given the freedom to race with his team-mate in Italy, although team principal Andrea Stella admitted afterwards there might be a change to that policy to help the British racer’s title hopes.
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Nico Rosberg and Natalie Pinkham discuss the importance of sports psychology in Formula 1 and how a positive outlook can impact the outcome of a race
Rosberg was shocked by that given how McLaren had been reticent to prioritise one driver over the other previously but believes it would be the right call to help Norris challenge Verstappen for the title.
“I’m surprised by those words from Andrea… and I’m very surprised that he would be so clear in saying that they’re now finally considering giving priority to Lando after they clearly didn’t on Sunday,” Rosberg said.
“That would be quite a change and we would obviously welcome that. In Lando’s situation, of course you want to be winning races by merit and not because your team-mate is helping you.
“It’s just stopping your team-mate from doing a crazy awesome move, which puts everything at high risk – and that’s what you want to avoid, I suppose.”
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Natalie Pinkham discusses the struggles that Red Bull has been facing with the RB20
Formula 1 now heads to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, live on Sky Sports from September 13-15, with eight rounds of the season still remaining.
McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes have all claimed victories this year and Rosberg is delighted with how competitive the 2024 campaign is shaping up to be.
“It’s really amazing because you have four teams who can go for race wins,” Rosberg said. “Four – I mean, when has that been the case? Never.
“You go into every weekend, and you just don’t know who’s going to get the win and this weekend again, it was the surprise challenge from Ferrari and even during the race, you still didn’t know who’s going to get the win.
“So it’s just so exciting every weekend – unreal, it’s perfect. The only thing we need now is Lando to get a good run on Max for the championship.”
Formula 1 leaves Europe for Baku and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 13-15, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
