Max Verstappen stirs the pot as Red Bull ace weighs in on controversial McLaren debate

has made his thoughts known on the team orders fiasco, suggesting that is 'too good' to play a back-up role in ' title challenge.

Norris finds himself 52 points behind Verstappen at the top of the Drivers' Championship standings heading into the United States Grand Prix this weekend, but the Brit could have been even closer if he hadn't lost key points to his team-mate.

Finishing behind the young Australian in Hungary, Monza and Azerbaijan proved costly for Norris. But after the uproar from fans after the Italian Grand Prix, McLaren made the decision to prioritise their leading driver for the remainder of the campaign, following discussions with Piastri's entourage.

Offering his thoughts on the team orders situation ahead of the race in Austin, Verstappen said: "For me, he's definitely not a [number two driver] and if I was him I would never accept it.

"For me, it's easy to talk, of course, because I've been in Formula One for 10 years and it's Oscar's second season, so it is always harder to put your foot down. But he's just a great F1 driver who doesn't deserve it to give up wins and positions and play second fiddle because he's asked to."

Piastri's reluctant acceptance of the number-two driver role for the remainder of 2024 comes as a major inconvenience to Verstappen as he aims to hold off the threat of Norris, despite heading into Sunday's race winless in his last eight starts.

Verstappen has built up enough of a buffer that finishing second to Norris in every remaining race would be enough to clinch the title, but should he falter even once on that feat he would drop below the 24-year-old in the standings come the end of the season.

For Norris, winning every race between now and the season's end is a legitimate possibility. McLaren are still developing at a ferocious pace and the Brit sauntered to victory in Singapore by a margin of over 20 seconds, despite easing off in the final stint.

Should McLaren's advantage over Red Bull continue to grow, Piastri's presence will put Verstappen under significant pressure. The young Aussie has already notched up two wins this season and has proved himself as a driver with world-class pace and temperament. He could be the difference in deciding the 2024 World Championship.