Oscar Piastri says McLaren briefly considered and ultimately rejected the idea of putting team orders in place for the final two rounds of the season.

Both McLaren drivers were thrown out of the Las Vegas Grand Prix results after excessive skid-block wear was detected on their cars, wiping out Norris’ second place and Piastri’s fourth. As a result, the points gap between them remains frozen at 24.

But while the McLaren pair lost out, Max Verstappen gained significantly. His sixth victory of the season in Vegas has brought him level with Piastri in the standings and placed him just 24 points behind Norris with two races to go.

Asked whether McLaren had held internal talks about backing Norris in the title fight, Piastri confirmed that the topic came up – but that it was dismissed just as quickly.

“We’ve had a very brief discussion and the answer is no,” Piastri told media including RacingNews365.

“I’m still equal on points with Max and got a decent shot of still winning it if things go my way. That’s how we play it.”

Without the disqualification, Norris would now hold a 30-point advantage over his team-mate and be firmly in control heading into the final two rounds. Instead, the title fight remains wide open – and McLaren will let both drivers race.