Oscar Piastri has ruled out adopting a more ruthless approach in the fight for this year’s title if that jeopardizes his long-term success with McLaren. Piastri is in an intense battle with his teammate Lando Norris for this year’s drivers’ crown.
The situation became tense at the Italian Grand Prix, where Piastri saw his lead in the standings reduced by three points, remaining with 31 points, after complying with a controversial team order.
McLaren’s team order, which asked Piastri to concede second place to Norris after a delay in Norris’s tire change, generated debate.
We’ve had very good discussions this week about what happened and what can be clarified, what can be improved.
Oscar Piastri
Piastri has expressed his confidence in McLaren’s handling of the situation, highlighting the importance of protecting the team’s success to ensure his own success.Oscar Piastri (izquierda) quiere asegurar que el éxito del equipo McLaren esté protegido en la lucha por el título de este año.When asked if he would adopt a more aggressive approach in the remaining eight races to secure the championship, Piastri replied that he would not do so “at the cost of future success. Definitely not.”
The incident in Monza was further complicated by McLaren’s strategy, which stopped its drivers outside their usual sequence to defend Piastri’s third position against the threat of Charles Leclerc.
Norris even suggested by radio that Piastri pit before him, on the condition that his teammate did not gain a position.
McLaren performed Piastri’s tire change in 1.9 seconds, the fastest pit stop of the season, while Norris’s took 5.9 seconds, relegating him to third place.
Initially, Piastri questioned the team order, but ultimately complied.
Piastri explained that, although he questioned the order over the radio, as drivers usually do, he felt obliged to comply with the team’s instructions once the request was reiterated.
