Lando Norris could have been in Monza in a really bad mood on Sunday evening.
Maybe he was in one in round 48 of the Italian Grand Prix, when he suddenly noticed behind teammate Oscar Piastri that he had been quite comfortable for the entire race.
Max Verstappen was Miles Up the road, already contributed to his frustration, and now a three -point win in the driver’s championship would be a loss of three points. Until his team intervened and Piastri ordered to give up the position.
The slow pit stop that Norris had dropped behind his teammate was certainly not a director error, with a slow left front the result of a wheel that was initially not fully confirmed. The pension in Zandvoort was also not a director error, and yet Norris could have losing ground on two consecutive weekends, with the second composition of the pain from a week earlier.
But McLaren is in a unique position, and with its two drivers line Athern on the circuit, it can correct the situation without any risk or the team costs on all points.
“I think the pit stop situation is not only a matter of honesty, it is a matter of consistency with our principles,” Team Head Andrea Stella explained. “Whatever the championship goes, what is important is that the championship within the principles and racing painting that we have at McLaren. And that we have created with our drivers.
“The situation in which we change our drivers is not only related to the pit stop, it is also related to the fact that we wanted to follow the two cars and Oscar wanted to stop first and then Lando. This should not have led to a swap of position. It was just done because we covered. [Charles] Leclerc, and at the same time we waited until the last possible moment to see if there was a red flag or a safety car.
“So we pursued the team of the team to capitalize as much as possible, and in the interests of the team we first had to go with Oscar and then with Lando. But the clear intention was that this would not deliver a swap of positions.
“The fact that we first went with Oscar, exacerbated by the slow pit stop with Lando, led to a swap of positions. And we thought it was definitely the right thing to go back to the situation that the pit stop existed in advance and then let the boys race. This is what we did and this is what we think we conform to our principles.”
It was no surprise when McLaren asked to exchange the positions, and it was also no surprise to hear Piastri ask the call initially – which suggests that a slow pit stop had already been agreed between the drivers as “part of the racing” – but then agree with the request.
The fact that the change of position took place, as in Hungary last year, shows how the drivers bought the culture that Stella has cultivated, even if Piaastri was not convinced on this occasion by the reasoning.
“It’s something we will discuss,” said Piastri after the race. “We discussed it earlier. I think it was a fair request today. Lando qualified ahead, the entire race was ahead and lost that place by no fault.
“I said what I had to say on the radio. And as soon as I received the second request, I will not go against the team. I think there are many people to protect and a culture to protect outside Lando and I. In the end, that is a very important thing in the future.”
Although both drivers are satisfied with the team’s approach, it became a bit of testy when today’s decision was the focus of the questions they received from the media. Steven Tee/Getty images
Piastri’s reaction was told because he clearly believed that the previously agreed approach was not followed, even if he thought it was an honest exchange when he was viewed objectively. After he had said he was not surprised to get a phone call, when he was asked about his comments on the radio and if he expected to be at the forefront, he replied: “I think the radio interview says enough. I am sure we will discuss it again.”
However, there was a difference of opinion from Norris, who stated his conviction that the request was in accordance with earlier conversations, and that he never doubted whether Piastri would go aside.
“No [doubts]Because it is what we have decided as a team, and it is what we all agreed, “said Norris.
There was a touch of needle in some Norris’s answers, because questions about whether McLaren was doing the right one could be seen as a smaller of the fact that he had earned his earlier position for Piastri. And because, while it took place, there can be no doubt that this was the most sporty thing to do.
It is an admirable approach to McLaren to try to keep things as honest as possible, but it is open to further problems. For example, if a similar incident occurs that another car includes between the two McLarens, a swap would not be initiated.
Similarly, if a red flag came out after Piastri’s pit stop, Norris would have been extremely well placed to win the race with Piastri third, just because Piastri was first brought in, which exposed to such an unhappy scenario. Convention usually dictates the main cars first, but there are occasions that it can be useful not to do that.
As those examples show, every approach will always be imperfect. But both drivers insist that they feel comfortable with that situation as it looks now.
“I think if it is under your control and no other cars are involved, it’s pretty simple,” said Piastri. “But if other cars are involved, we will not give all those points away to other teams for an error. If there are no cars in between, it is much easier to correct it.
“So to answer your question, if there had been more cars in between, then no, we would not switch back because it will be very unfortunate at that moment.”
Norris was almost offended by every suggestion that team points would be sacrificed to try to balance things between the drivers, but it does emphasize where a line must be a drawn that can still harm one over the other in the remaining eight races.
“Every situation is different, so it’s pretty stupid to just accept things like that and say that it is precedent that you have set,” said Norris. “We are not idiots and we have plans for different things. If there were four cars between me and Oscar, he will of course not let me pass by, and I don’t think it is correct that he will let me go back.
“But in a situation where we don’t race, in a situation where we can just be honest, then you would expect to be honest, if a team. They don’t want to be the reason to disturb one driver or the other.
“Today was not my fault. If I got down in my box and I hit all my mechanics on the road, I don’t expect to get the position back, but today I was out of control. In the end I don’t want to win this way by getting positions or something like that. And the same with Oscar-We don’t want to lose or win.
“But we do what we think as a team, regardless of what you say or what your opinions are, and we are committed to doing our way.”
In Monza it was the right call to tackle the balance on the track that was not earned or lost by both drivers themselves. And what McLaren tries to do when giving both equal opportunities is welcomed. But with each extra call, a layer of complexity is added that can ultimately lead to a decision that is seen if it affects the outcome in one way or another.
The idea that accident takes balance in the course of a season is imaginative, but when the team is committed to trying to do that, the few times it is unable to do this. The right call was made in Monza. But as the title race goes to the highest pressure points, McLaren will hope that it is not confronted with too many more scenarios that feel the need to intervene.
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