By Daniel Moxon

Copyright mirror

Oscar Piastri insisted he will “definitely not” risk his McLaren future by letting his Formula 1 title fight with Lando Norris turn sour. McLaren look set to be crowned constructors’ champions in Baku this weekend and only need to out-score Ferrari by nine points to seal the title. And then all attention will turn to the much closer title fight between their drivers. Piastri leads the championship over Norris by 31 points, a gap six points narrower because of McLaren’s controversial team orders in Monza last weekend . The Aussie last week held talks with the team after he was asked to move aside and let Norris pass after his team-mate suffered a slow pit stop. He told ESPN : “We have had very good discussions this week about what went on and what can be made clearer, what can be improved. “That is always kind of a learning process, I guess. But, ultimately, I know that the team would have my best interests at heart. And, ultimately, I want to protect that because I cannot have my own success without the team having success. So protecting that is a very important thing for me.” Piastri went on to clarify that he “definitely” won’t become more selfish going forward if it comes “at the cost of future success”. While he did acquiesce to the team’s request, Piastri had initially questioned the order to move aside when it came. He told race engineer Tom Stallard over the radio: “We said a slow pit stop was part of racing. I don’t really get what changed here. But if you want me to do it, I’ll do it.” Explaining that response, Piastri said: “In the moment, obviously, I questioned it on the radio as racing drivers often do and as we get encouraged to do. But once I had the second request, for me at that point I’m always going to respect that call.” While pushing each other for individual glory, Norris and Piastri have helped put McLaren on the verge of record success. Should they secure the crown in Azerbaijan on Sunday, McLaren will enjoy the earliest title success in F1 history, by number of rounds remaining . Seven more Grands Prix are to be held this year, while the current record is from 2023 when Max Verstappen-powered Red Bull won it with six to go. Whether or not the title is secured in Baku, when McLaren do seal their constructors’ success, it will be the 10th in their history. That will place them second in the all-time list, eclipsing the nine won by Williams over the decades but still some way behind the 16 titles amassed by Ferrari.