🔗 Share this article

Oscar Piastri states that McLaren are “fully in sync” regarding their approach in the championship fight between him and fellow driver Lando Norris.

The Aussie racer mentioned that he “trusts” the team after extensive discussions following the incidents at the Monza race, where Piastri received team orders to hand over P2 to Norris due to a problem during the stop for the English competitor.

Piastri currently holds a 31-point lead over Norris as they approach this weekend’s Baku race.

“A widely discussed moment. We’ve clarified many things, and we now understand how we’ll compete from now on. What’s occurred is in the past,” stated Piastri.

“We’ve had numerous conversations about our approach on track, and much of that will stay private.

“If we divulge that information, we become vulnerable because everyone will know our plans. Everything is very aligned, but it stays in-house.”

Piastri explained that McLaren’s call to reverse the order was influenced by the sequence of choices leading up to the pit stops.

Norris had been ahead for McLaren throughout the event, but the team opted to bring in Piastri first, contrary to standard practice.

Piastri’s stop was executed cleanly, but Norris dropped four seconds due to a wheel-fitting issue. This led to Norris losing the position.

Because the team had chosen an unusual pitting order, McLaren felt it was right to restore the original running order, even though they had previously agreed that a pit-stop problem was a natural aspect of racing that wouldn’t necessarily lead to such a decision.

Piastri added: “From the Italian GP, there was an additional element beyond the delayed stop—namely the sequence of stops. That contributed to why we swapped.

“That element I’m willing to talk about because it occurred. We can’t anticipate every scenario, but we are on the same page, and I trust the team’s judgments and believe they will do their best to make the right call.

“The biggest lesson for me from Monza was that it was a weekend where I deserved P3. I didn’t deserve second place based on my pace. I was fast at certain points but not throughout. That is my key reflection.”

Piastri stood by his comments during the race regarding slow pit stops being a normal occurrence.

“That is a decision we’ve made, that a problematic stop is an inherent risk,” he said. “In the cockpit, I didn’t have the complete picture regarding the pit stop sequencing. So it was determined that there was an extra reason for the position change.”

Norris is scheduled to speak to the media on Thursday afternoon.

Team Holds ‘Exceptional Position’ to Secure Title

McLaran are poised to secure the constructors' championship for the second consecutive year if they perform well in Baku.

They will achieve this if they outscore Ferrari by at least nine points, while not being beaten by Mercedes by 12 points or Red Bull by thirty-three points.

If achieved, this would mark the earliest team championship won in history, with seven races still left this year.

Piastri said: “It is a testament to all the hard work from the team. It is a truly exceptional situation we are in to even be discussing winning the team title this soon.

“It’s a incredibly satisfying moment for everyone, myself included, and I’m just eager to get back in the car and showcase all their efforts.”

Another team driver Fernando Alonso, who had two separate stints with McLaren, praised the work of CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella for turning around the team’s fortunes in recent years.

“Recognition must go to Andrea and Zak for creating a winning structure and car, but also for handling the drivers for the good of the team,” Alonso stated.

“It is not as dramatic to watch and for the press because there is no controversy in some of the wins—not yet anyway.

“But instead of thinking that way, we should recognize how effective Andrea and Zak are at overseeing all aspects.”