By Daniel Moxon,James Ellingworth

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The Formula 1 drivers’ championship fight is heating up and McLaren’s “let ’em race” policy risks morphing into a full-blown rule book. The team’s request for Oscar Piastri to surrender second place to Lando Norris at the Italian Grand Prix two weeks ago due to a sluggish pit stop highlighted how their seemingly straightforward approach could get mired in debates about on-track fairness. The rivalry between Norris and Piastri will become McLaren’s main concern if they can secure the constructors’ title this Sunday at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix , with an unprecedented seven races still to go. However, Friday’s practice session threw a spanner in the works as both McLaren cars clipped the wall. With a lead of 337 points, McLaren will clinch the title if one driver finishes first and the other comes in second or third , effectively dashing the slim mathematical hopes of Ferrari , Mercedes and Red Bull . This is a stark contrast to last year when McLaren narrowly beat Ferrari in the season’s final race to win the constructors’ title for the first time in 26 years. “”It’s a pretty remarkable position that we’re in,” said Piastri. “A very proud moment for everybody and myself included.” However, not everything went according to plan for McLaren during Friday’s practice after Norris and Piastri hit the barriers in the second session. Norris described it as “costly” and “annoying” that he had to hobble back to the pits after colliding with the wall with the rear left wheel halfway through the session, and didn’t return. Piastri also had a close encounter with the barrier and finished 12th, two places behind Norris. “It was feeling good until then,” Norris said of his incident. “I’d rather have this and push and find the limits than not push at all.” Lewis Hamilton clocked the quickest lap time, finishing. 074 of a second clear of his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc , with George Russell claiming third spot for Mercedes despite battling through illness to participate . Norris topped the timesheets in opening practice, finishing three-tenths of a second quicker than Piastri, whose McLaren mechanics were forced to investigate a technical issue with his engine. Leclerc secured third place. The session was halted for more than 20 minutes whilst repairs were carried out to damaged trackside kerbing. “I think the pace is there, it’s just not the easiest to get the most out of it,” Piastri said. Piastri also came under scrutiny for allegedly failing to reduce speed under yellow flag conditions during the second session. Whilst similar incidents have resulted in grid penalties previously, Piastri received merely a reprimand as the yellow flag was withdrawn a fraction of a second after becoming visible to him. Was switching the cars in Italy the optimal approach for McLaren to compensate for a team blunder beyond Norris’ influence? Or was Piastri penalised for something that’s “just part of racing,” as he indicated over team radio? The Monza verdict sparked further debate at McLaren regarding their optimal racing strategy. “We’ve again had a lot of discussions about how we want to go racing and a lot of that is to stay for us,” Piastri said, adding that giving away the details could allow rival teams to exploit McLaren’s approach. “I do think we have enough freedom to control our own destiny in the championship.” That decision left Piastri with a lead of 31 points, rather than 37. Anticipate hearing considerably more about it at the season’s conclusion if that six-point difference determines the title. “You can’t plan for every single scenario that’s going to happen, but I think we’re very aligned,” Piastri said. “Ultimately I respect the team’s decisions and trust that they’ll certainly do their best to make the right ones.”