Oscar Piastri has revealed that McLaren has held internal discussions about the controversial team orders at the Italian Grand Prix, reaffirming his commitment to the team’s success.
Despite the situation in Monza, Piastri believes McLaren’s achievements are more important than his own ambition to win the world championship.
With eight rounds remaining, Piastri leads the drivers’ championship and is on course for his first world title with a 31-point advantage over McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
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Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris of McLaren. Jayce Illman via Getty Images
This year, McLaren has been dominant, winning 12 races in total.
Piastri has led the charge with seven wins and 14 podiums, while Norris has secured five wins and 13 podiums. Adding to the drama, Norris also has two DNF results this season.
However, Piastri’s lead was eroded after team orders were issued at this month’s Italian Grand Prix.
A controversial call on lap 49 saw McLaren issue team orders, instructing Piastri to give up second place to Norris.
This decision was made after Norris had a slow 5.9-second pit stop due to a mechanical issue, a stark contrast to Piastri’s speedy 1.9-second stop.
The team felt they had done an injustice to Norris, who had lost the position due to no fault of his own.
The McLaren duo ran behind Max Verstappen for most of the race. Without interference, Piastri was on track to extend his championship lead by three points.
The podium finishing order for the 2025 Italian Grand Prix. LAT Images
Instead, his lead was cut by three, giving Norris a valuable momentum swing.
The situation gave Piastri an opportunity to draw a line in the sand and take the championship battle into his own hands. However, he chose not to — a decision he stands by.
“We have had very good discussions this week about what went on and what can be made clearer, what can be improved,” he told ESPN.
“That’s always kind of a learning process, I guess. But yeah, ultimately, I know that the team would have my best interests at heart.
“And ultimately, I want to protect that because I can’t have my own success without the team having success. So protecting that is a very important thing for me.”
McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri speak to media after the Italian Grand Prix. Getty
Chief executive Zak Brown previously said that the team would rather lose this year’s drivers’ championship than show favouritism towards one of their drivers.
Instead, the team’s preference remains to defend its constructors’ championship, which is all but guaranteed at this point in the season.
With that in the bank, an argument could be made for Piastri and Norris to begin putting themselves first.
However, the Australian pushed back, pledging his allegiance to McLaren’s benefit.
“Not at the cost of future success. Definitely not,” he said.
McLaren’s show of faith in Piastri has not gone unappreciated by the 24-year-old.
Oscar Piastri prepares to drive his McLaren. Â Formula 1 via Getty Images
Piastri joined the team for the 2023 season after coming up through Alpine’s junior driver program.
Having already spent a year on the sidelines with the Enstone-based squad, McLaren was so keen to acquire Piastri that it reportedly paid a $20 million penalty to release Daniel Ricciardo with a year remaining on his contract.
Similarly, Norris has also shown his loyalty to the team, choosing to stay with McLaren despite opportunities to move elsewhere in recent years.
Both Piastri and Norris are signed to long-term contracts with the team, which also helps explain their willingness to play the team game.