Lando Norris brushed off criticism of McLaren’s use of team orders at the Italian Grand Prix, insisting the team will always act in what it believes is the best interest, regardless of outside opinion. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, who yielded second place to Norris late in the race, also said he had no regrets over the call.
Max Verstappen comfortably won at Monza for Red Bull, with Norris and Piastri completing the podium. Norris had held second for most of the race, but a slow pit stop due to a wheel gun issue dropped him behind Piastri in the closing laps. McLaren then instructed the Australian to let Norris back through, which he did, allowing Norris to finish second and cut his teammate’s championship advantage to 31 points.
Although Norris was met with boos on the podium, he defended McLaren’s decision: “I don’t want to win like this, and neither does Oscar. But as a team we’ll always do what we believe is right, no matter what others think. We’re not idiots, we plan for different scenarios. Today was out of my control, and it was only fair.”
Piastri admitted he could have gained three more points by refusing, but backed the team’s ethos. Asked if he might regret the decision if the championship is decided by such a margin, he was clear: “No, I wouldn’t. Lando was ahead all race and only lost out through no fault of his own. That’s fair to me. You want to win on your own performances, not on things you can’t control.”
The Australian did note that the handling of slow pit stops had not been fully defined beforehand, hinting at the need for further clarity. Team principal Andrea Stella confirmed McLaren will revisit its principles around such situations.
As for the boos, Norris shrugged them off: “I heard them, but I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. The cheers were louder, and that’s what matters.”
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