Piastri told to let Norris past as Verstappen wins
The moment Oscar Piastri moved over and slowed down to allow McLaren team-mate Lando Norris to overtake him on lap 49 of 53
- Published
McLaren told Oscar Piastri to let Lando Norris past in a team orders controversy which overshadowed Max Verstappen's Italian Grand Prix victory.
They ordered Piastri to cede second place to team-mate Norris after a slow pit stop dropped the Briton behind the Australian after he had been running in second for most of the race.
McLaren unconventionally pitted Piastri before Norris as they left their pit stops late in the race in the hope of a safety car that could give them a chance to attack Red Bull's Verstappen.
But after Piastri had a clean stop on lap 45 with eight to go, when Norris stopped a lap later, a fault with a wheel gun delayed him, and his stop was four seconds longer than his team-mate's.
That put him behind Piastri, but the team ordered the championship leader to relinquish the position, arguing that it was "a bit like Hungary last year".
That was a reference to Norris letting Piastri by to take his first win after team strategy reversed their positions for tactical reasons.
Piastri said he disagreed but followed the order anyway.
There will be arguments that the situations were not comparable - and that a fault in the pits is just part of the twisting fortunes of racing.
The result cuts Piastri's lead over Norris by three points to 31 with eight races to go after an Italian Grand Prix which created a number of talking points:
McLaren's decision will be a focus for some time in the title fight
Verstappen's win marked a return to form for Red Bull, which may be track-specific
A hectic couple of laps at the start preceded a race of little incident until Norris' pit stop
More bad luck for Fernando Alonso, who retired with suspension failure after an outstanding weekend for Aston Martin
The McLaren controversy
McLaren have been determined to keep the fight between their two drivers as fair as possible but their approach was always likely to lead to controversy at some point.
That was certainly the case at Monza, as they interfered after the sort of twist of fate that often turns driver's races.
Norris unquestionably deserved the second place on the balance of the race, but his pit stop problem left the team with an agonising quandary.
It is normal practice to pit the lead driver first in such a scenario but McLaren decided they wanted to pit Piastri first, saying they made the decision to ensure he was clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who had pitted earlier on a conventional strategy.
Norris questioned it when told of the decision, saying he was fine "as long as there was no undercut", which would be him being passed by Piastri going faster on his out lap. He was assured there would be no such thing.
Piastri's stop was faultless at 1.9 seconds but Norris's front right wheel gun had a problem and his stop was 5.9, so Piastri was in the lead when Norris re-emerged on to the track.
Piastri was immediately told to let Norris back past. His engineer Tom Stallard said: "Oscar, this is a bit like Hungary last year. We pitted in this order for team reasons. Please let Lando past and then you are free to race."
Piastri replied: "I mean, we said a slow pit stop was part of racing, so I don't really get what's changed here. But if you really want me to do it, then I'll do it."
After the race, Norris said: "Every now and again we make mistakes as a team. Today was one of them."
The point of view of both drivers is understandable, and it will be interesting to see how McLaren manage this in the increasing tension of a title fight.
Speaking to Sky Sports later, Piastri was accepting of the decision, saying: "The decision to swap back was fair. Lando was ahead of me the whole race. I don't have any issues with that."
Verstappen's superb drive
Max Verstappen passed Lando Norris around the outside into the first corner on lap four to retake the lead
A year ago, Verstappen called his car "a monster" as Red Bull's performance slumped while he tried to fight a rearguard title defence.
This year, they have generally not been competitive with McLaren, other than on high-speed tracks, so Monza gave them an opportunity.
Verstappen capitalised with a brilliant pole at all-time record pace, and dominated the race from the start.
Norris challenged at the start and Verstappen cut the first chicane to retain the lead. Red Bull ordered him to let Norris back past to avoid a penalty.
But Verstappen immediately attacked and was back past Norris with an overtaking move into the first chicane at the start of lap four.
The Dutchman, who had not won since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in May nine races ago, was flawless thereafter, pulling away from the McLarens and never looking under threat.
McLaren gambled on late stops in the hope they might catch a safety car that would give them a cheap pit stop and allow them to attack Verstappen on soft tyres at the end, but one never came.
That made the world champion's winning advantage more than 19 seconds, which was exaggerated, but it was still a return to the Verstappen and Red Bull of old.
An eventful opening
Verstappen cuts the chicane going into the first corner at Monza, and was told to give up the place to Norris by the end of the first lap
On the run to the first corner, Verstappen edged Norris on to the grass on the inside of the straight. Verstappen then braked too late to make the first corner, cutting the chicane.
That kept him in the lead and an angry Norris asked on team radio: "What's this idiot doing? Come on. He's put me in the grass and then he's just cut the corner."
Verstappen maintained the lead, but the incident was immediately flagged by the stewards, hence Red Bull's intervention.
Piastri had the best start of all in the top three, but had to back out of a challenge, and that let Leclerc attack him, and pass on the exit of Turn One.
Piastri came back at him, with a stunning move around the outside of Turn Four.
That gave Piastri a chance to attack Verstappen, but when he went long into Turn One, Leclerc again passed him, this time through Curva Grande, and Piastri backed out of an attempted pass back into the second chicane.
The natural order was finally established when Piastri passed the Ferrari at Turn One at the start of lap five.
By that time, Piastri was 3.5secs behind Norris, but he continued to fall back.
Leclerc had a lonely race to fourth, ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, while Lewis Hamilton, in his first race for Ferrari at Monza, recovered well from his 10th place on the grid, after a five-place penalty, to take sixth.
Williams' Alex Albon took seventh from Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto, Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar.
More bad luck for Alonso
Sixth - or at least seventh - would probably have gone to Alonso, if not for a suspension failure on his Aston Martin.
After an outstanding performance in qualifying in putting the draggy Aston Martin in eighth on the grid on the fastest track on the calendar, the veteran Spaniard stuck in Bortoleto's DRS for the entire first stint as they battled over sixth place.
Alonso then undercut past the Sauber with an earlier pit stop and was working to pull clear, just out of DRS range, when his front suspension failed over the kerbs at the Ascari chicane.
It can't be told how it would have shaken out between Albon's long first stint and Alonso, but it was another bitter blow for Alonso in a season when luck refuses to go his way.
What's next?
It's the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on the streets of Baku in two weeks, from 19-21 September, as Formula 1 leaves Europe behind for 2025.
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