Lando Norris defends McLaren’s cautious orders in Melbourne, stressing team success mattered more than risking all for personal gain.
Things got a little tense at McLaren in Melbourne, but Lando Norris says the team made the right call.
During the race, teammate Oscar Piastri was asked to hold position behind Norris while they navigated through backmarkers. Norris wasn’t aware of the call during the race, but looking back, he totally gets it.
“I didn’t actually know about it at the time, because the team told Oscar, not me,” Norris explained. “But it was only for two or three laps, just when we were hitting traffic.”
“The track was tricky, and honestly, we would’ve looked like total idiots if we started fighting and both ended up off the track—or worse, out of the race—when we had such a strong result on the table. The team just told us to hold position for a few laps, and after that, it was back to racing.”
Up until that point, both drivers were free to race. Norris said things quickly went back to normal once they cleared the slower cars.
McLaren has faced criticism for how they’ve handled team orders in 2024, but Norris believes this time, they got it right.
“We actually had a chat about it this morning. From the team’s point of view, it wasn’t about me or Oscar—it was about protecting the result for McLaren,” he said. “We were running P1 and P2, so why risk it? There’ll be plenty of chances for Oscar and I to race each other later.”
“With blue flags waving and backmarkers everywhere, trying something risky would’ve been pointless. If you go off-line at that stage of the race, you’re in the wall. I was focused on managing my tyres to last until lap 54 or so. Oscar was pushing a bit more, maybe trying to overtake, but I was pretty comfortable.”
Piastri, meanwhile, appreciated how the team handled the situation and the conversations they’ve had since.
“I understand the context,” he said. “When you’ve got two cars up front, of course you want to protect that. But we’ve had some great discussions about how to manage this kind of situation better in the future. It’s been a positive week overall.”
Looking back on his home Grand Prix, Piastri said he came into Melbourne determined to deliver—and he feels he did just that.
“I showed up with a lot of drive and ambition, and I really feel like I gave it my all,” he said. “That’s something I want to carry into China this weekend. Pole position would’ve helped on Sunday, sure—but with how the weekend went overall, I’m happy with where I ended up.”
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Piastri – Norris told to hold fire in high-stakes showdown Piastri – Norris told to hold fire in high-stakes showdown
