Oscar Piastri insists McLaren did “the right thing” to impose team orders and get race leader Lando Norris to move aside for him in Formula 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Australian led the opening two stints of the race, but team-mate Norris was handed the undercut for the final stop by pitting first and took the lead for the final dash to the chequered flag.
McLaren then spent several laps asking Norris to give back the position to Piastri, as the situation grew increasingly fraught – with the British driver questioning how the pitwall had dealt with things.
He also asked why he had to give back the position considering he was pulling clear of his team-mate.
In the end, Norris pulled aside at the start of lap 68 and conceded the lead before following his team-mate home to take a McLaren 1-2.
Piastri had told the team over the team radio that the longer it took for the swap to happen, the more complicated it would get – as he said afterwards the team did the right thing to ensure that Norris did pull aside.
Speaking about the situation, Piastri said: “The longer you leave it, of course, the more you get a bit nervous. But it well executed by the team. And yeah, I think it was the right thing.
“I put myself in the right position at the start. And yeah, with the different strategy we had, yes, my pace probably wasn't as quick as I would have liked in the last stint, but I was still in the right position to make it happen. So yeah, well executed from the team.”
Norris appeared disappointed after the race but was clearly eager not to get drawn into the controversy when asked straight afterwards.
“The team asked me to do it, so I did it,” he said. “And that’s it.”
McLaren beast
While the team orders controversy overshadowed a dominant 1-2 from the team, both drivers praised the performance of the car.
Speaking about the MCL38, Piastri said: “It's a beast at the moment. It's fast in every condition.
“I think today we had it under control completely. And, yeah, amazing feeling to just be able to manage the race like that with both cars and secure a 1-2.
“I don't know when our last 1-2 was, but I think it's a long time ago [the 2021 Italian Grand Prix with Daniel Ricciardo and Norris]. So incredibly happy for the whole team, and nice to get my first win on the board.”
Norris added: “An amazing day for us as a team. I think that's the main thing. Honestly, I'm so happy.
“It's been a long journey to get to achieving this on merit, and that's exactly what we did today, and I think a long way clear of the rest. So, we did it in style as well.
“A good 1-2 by the team and of course, to Oscar, he had a good start. He got me off the line, and he controlled the race as well. So, yeah, it was coming at some point, and he deserved it today.
