Lando Norris says the criticism McLaren has received for allowing him past Oscar Piastri at Monza is “not our problem” and vowed the Formula 1 team would stick to its racing principles.
McLaren caused a stir when it ordered Piastri to let Norris retake second place at the Italian Grand Prix after a botched pitstop for the Briton, with Norris having agreed to reverse the usual pit sequence and let his trailing team-mate stop first.
The move drew criticism from plenty of fans and media alike, with many feeling the papaya squad had been too heavy handed in its intra-team driver fight, with a second consecutive constructors’ title already a formality.
The Monza situation was an edge case that was dictated by several factors, including the long-running McLarens starting to come under threat from fourth-placed Charles Leclerc, and a slow stop giving Piastri an undercut that otherwise would not have happened.
And, having reviewed the incident collectively, Piastri said he and Norris “have enough freedom to control our own destiny” as they contest one of the most cordial title battles F1 has seen in the modern era.
While McLaren felt no need to alter its approach over the remaining eight races, Norris wasn’t surprised by the backlash the team had received from pundits and fans.
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
“Not in the world that we live in nowadays, because that’s all people want to do; be negative and talk badly about others,” Norris said. “You also need headlines. You also need people to read things. It’s more negativity than positivity. So, honestly, not a surprise.
“But it also doesn’t affect us as a team. We continue to do things our way. Whether people agree with it or not, it’s not our problem and we don’t really care about that. So, we’re happy. We focus on ourselves.
“We want it to be equal for both of us and people can comment whatever they like after that.”
Per its usual way of operating, McLaren did sit down to review the sequence to provide further context to both of its drivers.
“Some things had to be clarified,” Norris explained. “There were some things that I didn’t know about in my post-race interviews at the time, like the undercut from Leclerc. That also played a part in the reasoning of the decision that the team made. And the fact it was not just the pitstop which made that decision. It was more so the other things.
“So, there was a clarification but nothing [apart] from the fact that we both agreed with it and accepted it.”
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Norris still insisted he and Piastri are free to race each other hard “for 99%” as the title battle edges towards the finish line.
“The fact is, as soon as we just re-established the position, Oscar could race me freely,” said Norris.
“We’ve been free every time to race. It’s just that in one lap of a pit sequence the lead driver always has priority. And that’s how it’s always been and that’s how it’ll continue to be. But otherwise, we’re free to race.”
The result at Monza leaves Norris with a 31-point deficit to overhaul, starting this weekend at the Azerbaijan GP which was won by Piastri last year after a tense fight with Leclerc. Piastri is a different animal this year, adding metronomic consistency to his undeniable speed, with Norris therefore expecting close battles all the way until December’s Abu Dhabi season finale.
“When I look at my results from last year, Singapore was one of my best last season,” Norris previewed the upcoming races. “But Oscar has also improved this season, so even if I had the biggest advantage last year, I’ve put it behind me and I have to reset and just look ahead to another weekend.
“At the same time, the car has changed this year and certainly some of the feeling and confidence level that I had at tracks last year is not the same as what I had this year.
“There’s not been either of us dominating at any weekend this season. I just expect close battles. And therefore, every little thing is important.”
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