Lando Norris firmly dismissed criticism aimed at McLaren for employing team orders during the Italian Grand Prix, insisting the team would stand by their decisions regardless of outside opinions. His teammate Oscar Piastri, who allowed Norris to pass him, also expressed no regrets over the move.
The race was dominated by Max Verstappen for Red Bull, with the reigning champion showcasing exceptional speed at Monza, while Norris and Piastri secured second and third. Norris had held second for most of the race but fell behind Piastri after a delayed pit stop caused by a wheel gun issue in the closing stages. McLaren instructed Piastri to yield the position back to Norris.
Piastri complied, allowing Norris to reclaim second and trim three points from his teammate’s championship advantage, now standing at 31. Both drivers supported the call during and after the race. Norris, who faced some jeers on the podium, remained adamant the team had acted correctly.
“Neither of us wants to win in this manner,” Norris said. “But we follow what we believe is fair as a team, no matter the outside noise. We trust our judgment.”
He elaborated, “We plan for scenarios like this. If Oscar had a clear advantage by a margin, of course he wouldn’t have moved. But when fairness is possible within the team, it should apply. What happened today wasn’t my fault. If I had botched the pit stop myself, I wouldn’t expect the favor in return.”
Piastri could have extended his lead by refusing the order but maintained that upholding McLaren’s team values was more important. When asked if he might regret the choice should he lose the title by a narrow margin, he was resolute.
“No regrets,” Piastri said. “It was fair. Lando was quicker all day and lost the spot through no error of his own. Whoever wins the championship should do so based on performance and controllable factors—today wasn’t one.”
Piastri mentioned that the team would reassess the incident, particularly concerning the pit stop delay. He had remarked after being told to move aside: “We agreed that pit issues are part of racing,” implying McLaren hadn’t fully predetermined how such situations would be managed. Team principal Andrea Stella confirmed they would revisit their guidelines.
“We’ll analyze the case, including the pit stop delay,” Stella said. “Our principles exist, but we’ll review them to ensure clarity.”
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