The fallout from McLaren’s Italian Grand Prix team orders continues to stir debate in Formula 1. After the controversial position swap at Monza, Oscar Piastri has shared his perspective — stressing that despite outside criticism, he and teammate Lando Norris still have the freedom to fight for the 2025 world championship.
What Happened at Monza?
At Monza, McLaren found itself in a tricky situation. Running second and third behind Max Verstappen, the team chose to pit Oscar Piastri before Norris in order to protect the Australian from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
That early stop — with Norris’s approval — worked in Piastri’s favor, but a slow pitstop for Norris later dropped him behind his teammate. To correct the situation, McLaren asked Piastri to let Norris back through, arguing it was consistent with last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix, where Oscar Piastri had lost out due to strategy.
The call sparked heavy backlash from fans, while even Mercedes boss Toto Wolff suggested McLaren had created a “difficult precedent.”
Oscar Piastri’s Take: “We Still Control Our Own Destiny”
Reflecting on Monza ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri stood by McLaren’s approach. He emphasized that both he and Norris still have the freedom to control their championship fight without excessive interference.
“I do think we have enough freedom to control our own destiny in the championship,” Piastri explained.
He also pointed out that no decision would have pleased everyone:
“There’s no right answer. If we had done the opposite, then half the fans would say that was wrong. So ultimately, there’s no correct decision.”
Accepting the Backlash
Oscar Piastri admitted he wasn’t surprised by the reaction from fans, given how F1 thrives on controversy.
“Am I surprised [by the backlash]? Not really. It was a big moment in the race, and a lot of fans are quick to jump on things that are deemed controversial.”
Importantly, he accepted that on pure performance, he didn’t deserve to finish higher than third that weekend.
Lessons Learned and McLaren’s Approach
Looking back, Oscar Piastri said the team has clarified its stance: a slow pitstop is considered part of racing. However, in situations like Monza — where pit order also played a role — a swap may still be required.
“That is a decision we’ve made, that a slow pitstop is a part of racing. But in Monza, there was another factor outside of the slow pitstop… that’s why we swapped.”
While the exact same scenario is unlikely to repeat, Oscar Piastri confirmed he would expect the same call again.
Keeping Some Things In-House
Oscar Piastri also hinted that McLaren won’t reveal every detail of how it manages these scenarios:
“We’ve had a lot of discussions about how we want to go racing. A lot of that stays with us. If we give out that information, then we become easy targets.”
This suggests McLaren wants to maintain flexibility while avoiding giving rivals any strategic advantage.
READ MORE: Is McLaren’s Friendly Title Fight Making F1 2025 Boring? – Sportskila
Final Thoughts
The Monza team orders remain a divisive moment in the 2025 season. For some, it was unnecessary interference in a fair fight; for others, it was simply McLaren keeping things balanced between its two title-contending drivers.
For Piastri, though, the takeaway is clear: the Norris–Piastri battle remains in their own hands, and McLaren’s approach is about protecting both the team and its long-term goals.
