Oscar Piastri on McLaren team orders: clarity after Monza, but strategy stays in-house

Oscar Piastri says he and Lando Norris remain free to “control our own destiny” in their title fight, while acknowledging McLaren has further clarified its approach after the controversial position swap at the Italian Grand Prix.

In Monza’s closing laps, Piastri was instructed to hand P2 back to Norris following a slow stop that had reversed their order on track. Piastri complied — and later confirmed detailed discussions took place at the factory to align on how the team will handle similar scenarios.

“If we give out that information, we become easy targets”

Piastri stressed that the specifics of McLaren’s rules of engagement will remain private. “A lot of that is to stay for us,” he said, noting that making such details public would turn them into “easy targets.” He also played down the idea that team involvement would drop once the constructors’ title is secured, suggesting the team-first philosophy remains intact.

Title context and a different feel to 2025

Piastri leads the championship and described this season as having a greater sense of inevitability compared to last year, crediting the MCL39’s step forward and the team’s consistency. While Monza sparked debate, the McLaren camp now appears aligned on principles designed to maximize team points while preserving a fair fight between its drivers.