Oscar Piastri credits Lando Norris for playing a pivotal role in his Baku victory but insists team orders will only be followed if they align with the bigger picture.
Oscar Piastri acknowledges that he must follow team orders from McLaren F1 to support Lando Norris. The Australian is aware that the team is aiming for both championships, but he clarifies that he won’t follow just any order at any cost.
“The team wants to win both championships. If you have the chance to do that, you can’t let it slip away. If I only think about what I want, I don’t like team orders against me. No driver likes that,” Piastri said.
“For your own pride, you want to show that you’re the fastest driver on track. However, I will help Lando in the final races if I’m asked. He has the best chance to win the title.”
“But it’s not a blank check. It has to make sense for me to let him through. We also want to win the constructors’ championship, and sacrificing my race to help Lando won’t help us achieve that goal. We’ll decide on a case-by-case basis.”
“Baku showed how we operate at McLaren. If Lando hadn’t held up Pérez after the first pit stop, I might not have won. He has a role in my victory.”
Piastri reflected on his Baku victory, explaining that he didn’t expect to win until he caught up with Charles Leclerc: “It’s the best win of my career. When he pulled away in the first stint, I never thought I would win the race.”
“Second place seemed like the best possible result. After the pit stop, I saw a half-chance to take the lead. I had more grip for a few laps, and I knew if I didn’t pass him then, it would never happen.”
“The overtaking move accounted for 40% of the win, and defending the lead for 35 laps made up the remaining 60%. Charles’ first attempt to pass me on mediums went wrong. I burned up my tires in the process.”
“My race engineer warned me never to do that again. Unfortunately, I had to ignore his warning the second time. It was close. I thought I’d end up in the runoff area, but I made it.”
The Australian is the driver with the most points over the last ten races, but that’s not a statistic that matters to him: “I don’t believe in those number games. Another driver has probably scored the most points in the last eight or ten races. Anyone can get the result they want.”
“What matters is the present. McLaren is giving me a car that’s very fast everywhere. And if it’s not the fastest, like in Baku, it still gives you a chance to win if the team and you do everything right.”
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Piastri: Norris Key to Baku, But No “Blank Check” Piastri: Norris Key to Baku, But No “Blank Check”
