McLaren created a problem for themselves when they chose not to pit their drivers in the ‘usual’ order at the end of the Italian Grand Prix.
That, combined with a slow pit stop for Lando Norris, meant McLaren inadvertently dropped him behind his team mate. They rushed to reverse the unintended outcome by telling Oscar Piastri to let his team mate through again.
To McLaren’s relief, Piastri complied, and took much less time about it than Norris did when he was given a similar instruction at the Hungaroring last year. But he also suggested the call was not in line with what they’d agreed in the past.
“We said that a slow pit stop was part of racing,” he reminded race engineer Tom Stallard.
McLaren have tried to ensure a level playing field between their two championship-contending drivers. While team principal Andrea Stella argued they kept things fair by ensuring Piastri did not benefit from an early pit stop, Norris appeared to fall behind his team mate more due to his slow stop than the timing of the tyre changes.
Here’s how McLaren orchestrated the pit stops and subsequent switch, and what their drivers made of the decision afterwards.
The pit stops
Whenever two teams’ cars are running consecutively on the track and close enough together, they ordinarily pit the leading car first. This is logical, as it ensures they are first to gain the benefit of switching to softer tyres. Doing the opposite would give the chasing driver the benefit of the ‘undercut’.
In the closing stages of Sunday’s race, Norris was leading McLaren’s pursuit of race leader Max Verstappen, pursued by Piastri. As McLaren’s drivers were switching from very old medium tyres to soft rubber, the power of the ‘undercut’ for them would be significant.
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McLaren did not have the luxury of choosing exactly when to pit their drivers after Charles Leclerc pitted from fourth place behind Piastri. Norris’s race engineer Will Joseph told him when this happened:
| Lap: 34/53 NOR: 1’22.554 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | Leclerc is the car behind Oscar. He’s just pitted now for a hard tyre. This does not change what we’re doing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 36/53 NOR: 1’22.638 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | And Lando, what are your thoughts on the soft tyre? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norris | Well, I guess the opposite to the car ahead. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | Check right-hand toggle. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norris | Yeah, I got dirty air already from the car ahead. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 38/53 NOR: 1’22.809 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | Verstappen has pitted for the hard tyre. We keep going for Safety Cars. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norris | Yeah I need blue flags. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | You need to get closer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
McLaren initially began to call Norris in first. But knowing Leclerc had pitted, he asked the team whether they preferred to start with Piastri. They quickly agreed:
| Lap: 45/53 NOR: 1’22.781, PIA: 1’26.609 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | And Lando, the gap to Verstappen is now 11.1. Lando, we will box this lap onto the soft tyre and I’ll come up one. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norris | Did you want to box the other car first? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | Yep, we’ll do that. We’ll swap it ’round, so stay out. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norris | Well, only if he doesn’t undercut, otherwise I’ll box first. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | There will be no undercut. Confirming we are staying out | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norris | Yeah, confirm. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The switch
McLaren brought Piastri in, telling him they were departing from standard procedure to ensure he stayed ahead of Leclerc. They brought Norris in on the next lap.
As soon as McLaren realised Norris’s pit stop hadn’t gone to plan, they advised both drivers they might end up close together at the pit exit:
| Lap: 46/53 NOR: 1’27.287, PIA: 1’41.402 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | And confirming we are box this lap. | Stallard | Launch map off, launch map off. Strat six, Strat six, standard out-lap. Leclerc crossing start-finish now. Oscar, control the out-lap. We are boxing the cars this way around to ensure you cover Leclerc. You are free with Lando once he’s ahead of the pit exit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norris | Confirmed. | Stallard | Lando is pitting this lap. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | Need strat six, please, strat six. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On the lap after Norris rejoined, McLaren told both drivers they would restore the original order. Piastri questioned the call but complied:
| Lap: 47/53 NOR: 1’44.986, PIA: 1’21.245 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | Launch map, launch map. This could now be close at exit. | Stallard | May be close at exit, Lando slow stop. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | Norris reaches the pit exit Press the overtake button. |
Stallard | Oscar six laps to go, priority is to not drain this tyre. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | Strat seven, strat seven. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 48/53 NOR: 1’21.038, PIA: 1’21.783 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | Lando, we’re going to re-establish the order. So he will let you past, then you’ll be free to race. He might let you through into turn one this time around. Piastri lets Norris past into turn one |
Stallard | Oscar this is a bit like Hungary last year. We pitted in this order for team reasons. Please let Lando pass and you’re free to race. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Piastri | I mean, we said that a slow pit stop was part of racing. I don’t really get what’s changed here. But if you really want to do it then I’ll do it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stallard | Let’s have strat seven. Suggest to let him through into turn one. Let through into turn one. This is the same as Hungary last year. I know it’s painful, but you will have five laps remaining from now. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lap: 49/53 NOR: 1’21.154, PIA: 1’23.484 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | Okay, you’re free to race. | Stallard | Thanks Oscar, you’re free to race, clinical, clear head mate. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joseph | Okay Lando, push-and-hold will be available, we’re going to have to use it, they’ve got DRS. Lando, suggest strat 13, strat 13. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After the drivers took the chequered flag Joseph told Norris: “Apologies about the stop.”
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“I’m sure we’ll discuss it again”
Although Norris dragged his feet last year in Hungary when he was told to let his team mate past under similar circumstances, he said he never doubted Piastri would follow McLaren’s order. “It’s what we decided as a team,” he said, “it’s what we all agreed upon.”
Piastri also acknowledged McLaren had discussed this potential situation before and said he wasn’t surprised by their request.
“We have had discussions about all kinds of scenarios,” he said. “When you’re in the same team, when there are things outside a driver’s control, there’s a lot more ways you can rectify things.
“So it is a discussion we’ve had. I’m sure we’ll review it and discuss more, but it wasn’t a situation that hadn’t been discussed before.”
But during the race Piastri said he thought McLaren wouldn’t use a slow pit stop as a pretext to swap the running order. He did not have an explanation for that. “I think the radio call kind of says enough,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll discuss it again.”
With the championship still likely to go to one of the two McLaren drivers, the pair insisted they would obey similar orders in the future, including in a potentially decisive race late in the season.
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By obeying McLaren’s order, Piastri allowed a six-point swing in Norris’s favour. But he said he won’t regret what he did if he ends up losing the championship by a few points.
“I think today it was a fair decision,” he said. “Lando was ahead the whole race and again it wasn’t through any fault of his own. For me, that’s fine.
“Ultimately, whoever wins the championship wants to have won it as much as they can through their own performances and things they can control. Today, that wasn’t one of those things.”
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