SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS -- McLaren wants its title-fighting drivers to consider the long game at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Lando Norris starts Sunday's race from pole ahead of Oscar Piastri, who he trails in the championship by nine points.
The McLarens comfortably locked out the front row on Saturday afternoon but have Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who won the sprint race, starting behind.
Verstappen won the sprint by staying behind Piastri at the start and then using the long Kemmel Straight after Eau Rouge to slipstream past.
The prospect of a wet race has grown overnight, throwing another unknown into the mix.
"I think both drivers will try, first of all, to have the fastest run through corner one," McLaren boss Andrea Stella said on Saturday evening.
"I guess positioning for the one that will be in P2, positioning the car in order to be able to take the slipstream, will be potentially a decisive factor. I have to say that based on the weather forecast, this is not necessarily going to happen in dry conditions, so if it's wet it will be even more interesting, because Eau Rouge may not be easy flat, like it is nowadays on lap 1 in a Formula 1 car.
"At the same time, while you look ahead, you will have to look a little bit behind, because Ferrari has a significant speed advantage, so I wouldn't be surprised if Leclerc is actually leading the group at the end of lap 1. So there's certainly some planning that you can do, but ultimately you have to let the drivers make their own assessment, their own judgement.
"Certainly what I will tell the drivers is that lap 1 is just lap 1 of 44, and when you have such a good competitive car, you just have to make sure that we minimise the trouble during lap 1. And then if we execute the race in the best possible way, I think we will be in condition to regain the possibility to win the race, even if lap 1 doesn't go according to the outcome of qualifying."
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McLaren has opted against implementing team orders between its drivers so far and has employed a policy of letting them both race. Norris drove into the back of Piastri while fighting for position at the end of the Canadian Grand Prix.
At the next race, in Austria, Piastri had to be reigned in after nearly ploughing into the back of Norris' car while they fought for the lead.