Team orders controversy not just about fairness for McLaren
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said a team orders controversy in Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix was about putting McLaren’s racing values first as well as fairness.
The reigning Formula One champion and runaway leader asked Oscar Piastri to hand back second place to teammate Lando Norris after the Briton suffered a slow pitstop through no fault of his own.
The decision, accepted by both drivers, cut the Australian’s overall lead to 31 points from 34. The pair are effectively the only drivers fighting for the title, such is their advantage over the rest.
“The pitstop situation is not only a matter of fairness, it’s a matter of consistency with our principles,” Stella told reporters.
“However the championship goes, what’s important is that the championship runs within the principles, and the racing values that we have are clear.”
Piastri had initially suggested that a slow pitstop, apparently caused by a wheelgun problem on the front left, was just a part of racing but he did as he was told and handed back the place.
Stella said the pitstops were dictated by strategy, with Piastri coming in first despite Norris being ahead on track and normally having priority.
This was because McLaren had wanted to cover Piastri from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc behind him in fourth and were also waiting until the last moment to pit in case a safety car was deployed.
“We pursued the team interest … the clear intent was that this is not going to deliver a swap of positions,” added Stella, who worked at Ferrari through the Michael Schumacher era when team orders were commonplace in the German’s favour.
“We thought it was absolutely the right thing to go back to the situation pre-existing the pitstops and then let the guys race. This is what we think is in compliance with our principles.”
In the end the Australian was unable to get close enough to Norris to pass and they finished second and third behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who trails Piastri by 94 points in the title race.
Piastri told reporters it was important to protect everyone in the team, including the pit crew, to have the best chance of long-term success and Norris agreed.
“The team is number one, then the drivers are second. That’s how it works,” said the Briton.
“Normally when you see teams who don’t have enough respect for the team and the opportunities the team gives, it (success) doesn’t normally last long.
“We want to try and be in this position for a longer period of time … without the team then we’re just fighting for 10th and none of us want that. The team and morale, the spirit of the team, is priority and we’re below that.”
Published on Sep 08, 2025