McLaren driver Lando Norris stated that the team will not deviate from its commitment to a fair fight for the title, despite the controversy at the Italian Grand Prix. Norris insists that both he and his teammate Oscar Piastri are free to compete in “99%” of situations. Piastri, championship leader, was instructed to yield his position to Norris at the end of the race in Monza, following a series of dramatic events that altered the positions of the McLaren drivers on the track. Piastri benefited from a favorable “undercut”, an early pit stop strategy, to defend against Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. This, added to a slow stop for Norris, allowed the Australian to move up to second position. Despite a brief protest, Piastri agreed to McLaren’s request to give the second position back to Norris, which meant he left Monza with a 31-point lead in the fight for the title, instead of 37. The controversy has been the main topic since Monza. When asked if he was surprised by the negativity, Norris replied:
Norris continued to explain that the team remains firm in its approach, regardless of external opinions. He highlighted that McLaren seeks fairness for both drivers. McLaren has been determined this year to allow its drivers to compete as fairly as possible. Parallels were drawn between Monza and last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix, when Norris, after a discussion with the team, yielded so that Piastri could get his first victory, after being displaced from the lead due to McLaren’s pit stop strategy. Norris pointed out that Monza has given a misconception that McLaren does not allow its drivers to compete. Regarding McLaren’s interference in the fight, Norris indicated that the team, for the most part, has stayed out of the battle. Norris and Piastri could secure McLaren their second consecutive constructors’ championship in this weekend’s Baku race. The team will win the title if it outperforms Ferrari by nine points or more, is not surpassed by Mercedes by 12 points or more, and is not surpassed by Red Bull by 33 points or more. It would be the earliest date a team has secured the constructors’ championship.Not in the world we live in today, because that’s what people want to do, you know, be negative and talk badly about others. Honestly, I’m not surprised.
Lando Norris
