Lando Norris heads into the Las Vegas Grand Prix 24 points ahead of Oscar Piastri.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri with Andrea Stella
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have both made the same request (Image: Getty)

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri may be up against each other in the Formula 1 drivers’ title race, but they remain very much united on at least one issue within the McLaren camp. As the season reaches its climax, Norris revealed at the Las Vegas Grand Prix that both he and his team-mate have made the same request.

They have “both asked” to spend less time on a race weekend filming social media clips to be put out on McLaren’s channels. It is common for drivers to have to spend time in front of a phone camera as teams try to keep their online fanbases engaged and, while F1 is very much a team sport, the stars of the show are always those behind the wheel.

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Norris and Piastri have been as game as anyone to do so, but have now asked to have fewer responsibilities on that front in these crucial final weeks of the season. The Brit revealed as much as he answered a question about the relationship with his team-mate, given they have not appeared online together much recently.

He replied: “I think the reason you see less videos is because we both asked to do less videos. We’re racing drivers – we want to come and drive, not make videos for social media, so that’s our request as drivers. But we still get made to do plenty. Otherwise, it’s still the same.

“I’m very happy – I think we both are – that that’s how it is. It’s not because that’s just how it is, it’s because we both have a lot of respect for one another and we both understand the position that we’re in. We both treat the world of driving versus just personally what we’re like away from the track quite differently.

“That’s how I’ve always been. I feel like I’ve always got on well with my team-mates since karting. I’ve always wanted to because it just makes my life more fun, more enjoyable and that’s also why I’m here – because I love what I do. So the more I can do that, the better.

“We still very much understand that we work for McLaren, we want the best for the team, we work very hard and, as drivers always do, you try and maximise your own performance more than anything. But then when we step out of the car, we can still have a joke, we still have laughs in our debriefs and we still enjoy everything away from the track. So, no, I think it’s still better than ever in many ways.

“I think we’re still very different people. He’s very calm, down to earth, very relaxed, always looks just cool and that’s something I admire quite a bit – how plain-sailing he is with a lot of things. It’s a good attribute to have. It’s always hard to read what mood he’s in.

“I think probably for me, you see more visually the moods I’m in. But otherwise, it’s not like we go play golf together and do things like I have done with Carlos [Sainz]. Daniel [Ricciardo], I didn’t play golf with, but we’re still different people. But in terms of relationship, we get along well, we still work together well and I think it’s still better than it’s ever been.”