‘What happened is done’ says Oscar Piastri after Italian GP team orders

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri has put the team orders from the Italian Grand Prix behind him as the Australian and the team look forward to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Feature image credit: McLaren Racing

Last time out, McLaren came under the spotlight after they made a decision on team orders at Monza, asking Piastri to give up track position to teammate Lando Norris, his championship rival.

The decision followed a slow stop for Norris who lost track position in their late stop, and the order meant the championship leader finished the race in third place, behind Norris who sealed second place behind Red Bull’s winner Max Verstappen.

Following this, the Australian has confirmed they have had ‘good discussions’ with the team, and the incident has been put behind him. In the FIA Press Conference, he said:

“We’ve had good discussions with the team. You know, obviously a highly talked about moment, but yeah, we’ve had a lot of discussions, clarified a lot of things, and we know how we’re going to go racing going forward, which is the most important thing.

“So, yeah, what’s happened is done, and I’m excited to get racing here.”

Embed from Getty Images

At the Italian GP, there was an unusual action in the pit stops as Piastri was pitted before Norris, who had been the leading McLaren all race. It was a step away from the norm as the leading car usually gets preferential treatment.

Whilst Piastri pitted well and returned without issue, Norris pitted shortly after but was slowed due to an issue slapping on his front-left tyre. In the end, the Briton filtered out onto the circuit behind Piastri, before being allowed through and free to race.

Despite this, Piastri has stood by his team and said that he respects the teams decisions and trusts them to make the right ones in the future.

“I think, from Monza, there was another factor outside of the slow pit stop, being the order we pitted in – that was a contributing factor to why we swapped,” he said. “So, that one I’m quite happy to talk about because it’s happened. But any other scenarios, again, you can’t plan for every single scenario that’s going to happen.

“But I think we’re very aligned and ultimately, I respect the team’s decisions and trust that they’ll do their best to make the right ones.”

How can McLaren win Constructors title in Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Piastri leads the drivers championship with a 31 point advantage over Norris, his closest rival for the title, in second place.

McLaren also have a chance to secure the constructors championship this weekend if they finish 346 points ahead of their closest rivals, Ferrari, after the 51-lap race around Baku.

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Azerbaijan Grand Prix: the schedule and timings
• F1 reveal sprint calendar with one iconic venue absent
• Azerbaijan Grand Prix: The latest weather report for Baku
• How Oliver Bearman is nearing race ban in rookie F1 season
• Max Verstappen dominates victory at F1 Italian Grand Prix
• FIA confirm two pit lane penalties ahead of Italian Grand Prix

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.