McLaren turbulence in Monza: Norris calls out Piastri's aggressiveness

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

MONZA, Italy – The Italian Grand Prix was a dramatic affair for McLaren, with Lando Norris criticizing teammate Oscar Piastri's overtaking maneuver as "too close for comfort," risking a collision that could have taken them both out of the race.

Norris started strong, leading from pole position into Turn One. However, Piastri's aggressive move at the Roggia chicane caught Norris off guard, forcing him to concede his position to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who eventually went on to win the race.

When asked about the surprise move, Norris remarked, "A little bit. Obviously I would have just braked a bit later if I'd needed to. I feel like he got way too close for comfort; we both easily could have been out in that corner if I'd braked one meter later. Obviously, if I could rewind, I would do stuff slightly differently, but it is what it is. Oscar drove a good race, and so did Charles, so..."

The shift in dynamics following Piastri's daring maneuver significantly affected Norris's performance. As McLaren's closest contender to championship leader Max Verstappen, Norris found himself on the back foot and out of contention for the race win without the aid of a safety car or team orders.

Andrea Stella, McLaren’s team boss, had emphasized "papaya rules"—which permit their drivers to race closely but cleanly—after qualifying. He reiterated this stance 24 hours later, hinting at a review of Piastri's maneuver to ensure compliance with the team's internal guidelines.

"We will have to review together with the drivers, with the videos," Stella said on Sunday evening. "Understand their point of view and then we will assess together whether they were fully compliant or not. We will take the learning, if there is any learning they need to take, and then we will apply the papaya rules such that they allow us to pursue in the best possible manner both the constructors' championship and the drivers' championship."

Reflecting on McLaren's potential in both championships, Stella added, "We have to now be in the condition to acknowledge that not only the constructors' championship is possible, but even from the driver's point of view, with the performance that we have in the car and some of the struggles we see with Red Bull, it is definitely possible."

With the review pending, McLaren faces the challenge of balancing intra-team competition with their overarching championship ambitions.

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