McLaren and “Justice” in F1: Norris and Piastri on the Tightrope

Verstappen Mocks McLaren’s Strategy at Monza

In the final laps of the Italian Grand Prix, while heading for victory, Max Verstappen couldn’t help but laugh at the order of the orange cars following him. The situation, which involved McLaren teammates and title contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, forced to swap positions by order of their team, provoked the hilarity of the Red Bull driver.

Ha! Just because [Norris] had a slow stop?

Max Verstappen

Verstappen’s reaction wasn’t the only one to what happened in Monza. The moment was notable in a fight for the title that has been very close on the track. It all began after McLaren’s pit stops. With Verstappen stopping earlier and conceding position, the team opted to stop as late as possible to take advantage of a Safety Car period, a common strategy in Formula 1. However, what followed was not standard. Piastri, the second car, was the first to pit, and his stop was flawless. Norris, a lap later, suffered a slower stop, which meant he emerged behind his teammate and title rival. It seemed another cruel blow for the driver, whose championship hopes had been affected by a failure at the Dutch Grand Prix. But McLaren intervened, asking Piastri to concede the position to his teammate for the sake of fairness. Piastri agreed, albeit with some reluctance.

We said that a slow pit stop is part of racing. I really don’t see what has changed here. But if you want me to, I will.

Oscar Piastri

Norris regained second position, reducing his championship lead to 31 points. It is unlikely that Verstappen would have reacted in the same way in a similar situation. The dynamic between Verstappen and Red Bull contrasts with that of McLaren. While Red Bull has been perceived as a team focused on a single driver, McLaren has tried to maintain fairness between its two drivers, who have been in a close battle for the title since the start of the season. Both drivers have shown very similar performance and often compete head-to-head in races. McLaren CEO Zak Brown has been convinced he has the best driver lineup in modern Formula 1. Since both drivers achieved victories last season, and even more since they became championship rivals in 2025, it has been difficult to argue with him.

Despite a tense moment in Montreal, the fight between the McLaren drivers has been respectful. The culture that Brown and team boss Andrea Stella have fostered at McLaren was exemplified in Piastri’s decision to concede position to his title rival.

The important thing is that the championship takes place within the principles and fairness that we have created with our drivers.

Andrea Stella

Piastri, for his part, stated that the request was fair, given that Norris had qualified ahead and led the race before losing the position due to circumstances beyond his control. However, McLaren runs the risk of finding itself in a complicated situation in the final stretch of the championship by clinging to fairness. The team order in Monza and Piastri’s decision have created doubts about the team’s future decisions. McLaren’s approach has been put to the test on several occasions.

The incident in Monza generated debate about team orders. Norris contradicted the idea that a failed pit stop didn’t justify a team order, pointing out that it had been agreed within the team. McLaren’s decision to pit Piastri first, combined with Norris’s slow stop, created the situation. Stella justified the decision, emphasizing the intention not to swap positions, but acknowledged that Norris’s slow stop led to that result.

The insistence on correcting errors has not been entirely consistent, as seen in the British Grand Prix, where McLaren did not reverse a penalty that affected Piastri. This situation raises questions about who decides what is fair and the criteria for doing so, and whether these decisions will withstand scrutiny as the championship progresses. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff suggested that McLaren had opened a Pandora’s Box in Monza.

There is a precedent that is very difficult to undo. What if the team makes another mistake and it’s not a pit stop, do you change their positions? But, equally, due to a team error, making a driver who is trying to come back, lose points, is not fair either.

Toto Wolff

Norris and Piastri indicated that the team has plans for different situations, and that the decision to concede the position depends on whether other cars are involved. Piastri also hinted that McLaren’s constructors’ championship is an important factor. McLaren will review the last laps of Monza before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 21. However, a change of focus is not expected.