Yesterday at 11:05
A particular aspect of why McLaren reversed the positions of Oscar
Piastri and Lando Norris following a bungled pit stop for the
Briton during Sunday's Italian Grand Prix has been laid bare. The
decision to order Piastri to allow Norris to reclaim second place
after both had pitted late on to take on sets of soft tyres has
since been in the spotlight and forensically analysed. Many feel
that Norris' slow stop due to an issue in changing the front-left
wheel on his McLaren was simply a racing incident, and that the
Briton was an innocent victim of what unfolded. Piastri, however,
has indicated that there is more at play than just him and Norris,
and where they finish in a race and whatever the consequences might
be for their championship aspirations. As a result of the decision
by McLaren, Piastri's lead over Norris was marginally cut from 34
points to 31. It could have extended to 37. "If you're on opposite
teams, it's very obvious that you just take the luck you get,"
Piastri told Sky Sports F1 . "But when you're in the same team,
same pit crew, same mechanics, there's a lot at stake for not just
us, but for the whole team. "And I think the decision to swap back
was fair." Analysing Piastri's remarks, former F1 driver and Sky
Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok can fully appreciate the
circumstances that were perhaps not considered at the time. "I
thought that Oscar made a really good point about the mechanics,"
said Chandhok. "Because what you have to remember is, obviously, in
the pit garage, you've got two cars. "You've got mechanics on Oscar
and on Lando's car, but they all come together for the pit stop,
and you don't want a mechanic who normally works on Oscar's car to
cost Lando a position, right?" "That creates an internal tension
and an odd dynamic within the team. "So personally, I fully
understand why McLaren did what they did, because the constructors'
championship is sewn up, so they want to keep a healthy, harmonious
atmosphere, even between the engineering groups and the mechanics
and not just the drivers. "Of course, you could say that's motor
racing, but if I were in Andrea Stella's seat, that's exactly what
I would do."
