Oscar Piastri says following a team’s order from McLaren is critical to the team’s future success and protects some reps who provide race-winning machinery to drivers.
McLaren told Piastri to move in for Lando Norris after Norris placed a position on his teammates in the second half of the Italian Grand Prix at a slow pit stop. The call deems McLaren a slow stop when he is out of the hands of either driver, and is designed to keep the driver’s championship fight as fair as possible, and Piastri says he sees a big picture when respecting such demands.
“We’ve said many times that we don’t want a chance to succeed just this year,” Piastri said. “Next year there will be a major regulatory change, and we don’t know how competitive we are.
“In the end, as long as we are Formula 1 drivers, we want the best chance to win the championship, and we both have been in McLaren for a very long time. It’s very important to protect the people around us who give us this opportunity.
“If we were fighting very closely throughout the race, that would be slightly different, but Rand would have been moving a few seconds ahead throughout the race, so I have no worries about that.
“Again, I don’t want to fight for the championship this year. I want it for as long as possible. I can protect people, including those who are doing pit stops. That’s not a very good feeling (make mistakes), and it’s important to protect all the people we have.
Norris supported the Piastri perspective, saying that the work being done at this point in driver relations is designed to provide the best foundation for long-term success.
“The team is a priority,” Norris said. “Teams are number one and drivers are second. That’s how it works. Usually, a driver doesn’t fully respect the team and the opportunity they give them (drivers) but they don’t usually last long.
“Whether it’s Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, you can see it on a lot of other teams. We want to work hard at this position for longer than what they were on top.
“But like Oscar said, the team gives us these opportunities. Without the team, we’re fighting for the 10th. None of us want.