Oscar Piastri has conceded he “could have done things differently” after he botched his qualifying lap in Monza, but denied any suggestion he deliberately tried to sabotage McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
Piastri was sent out first on the final runs in qualifying to give Norris a slipstream at a track where getting a tow is critical in setting a fast lap time.
Oscar Piastri has shut down suggestions he sabotaged his teammate’s qualifying run last time out in Monza. Getty Images
But Piastri locked a brake into the first chicane, drove across the run-off and immediately aborted his lap.
Piastri’s earlier run would be good enough for third. Norris, forced to run the rest of the lap without a slipstream, ended up down in eighth.
The two McLarens were the first two in the train of cars attempting their last flying laps. At other tracks on the calendar, drivers do their best to give themselves clear air to ensure maximum downforce. At Monza, the ideal gap is somewhere between 1.5-2 seconds.
Cynical fans were quick to suggest because Piastri had deliberately locked his brakes to spoil Norris’ run because he had little chance of improving his own time. Also, instead of pulling over and letting the field past, he could have pressed on and continued to give Norris the tow.
Speaking to media in Madrid ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix at the new “car-killing” Madring circuit, Piastri conceded he “probably” could have given Norris a tow elsewhere.
“But when you lock up and miss the corner, the first thing you think about is how to get out of the way, not do anything else,” he said per motorsport.com.
“Yes, in hindsight, maybe I could have done things a bit differently, but I think in the moment, to expect anything else was probably a pretty big ask, in my opinion.
“Could we do things better next time? Yes. I think the first thing is to make sure we’re not… Well, it’s always tricky from where we are in the pit lane, but clearly in Monza, being the first two cars out of the pit lane, we were never going to improve. We were kind of doomed before we even started our laps, but yes, we could have done a bit better.”
The order of teams in the pit lane is determined by the constructors’ championship from the previous season. As reigning champions, McLaren are the first garage at pit entry. At Monza, it means the other teams basically wait for them to drive past before following them out of the pit lane. McLaren can ill-afford to wait for other teams to pull out before them, or risk not making it to the start line before the chequered flag falls.
In the race, the McLaren pair finished fourth and fifth in the Brit’s favour after a spectacular battle that went right down to the last corner.
But speaking on Sky Sport’s F1 Show, commentator David Croft said McLaren should have ordered Piastri to let Norris past to give him the chance to chase down Max Verstappen for third. Norris crossed the line just over four seconds behind the Dutchman.
Norris is fourth in the driver’s standings, 96 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli. Piastri meanwhile is down in seventh – 55 points behind Norris and 151 behind Antonelli.
Norris had won the previous two races in Hungary and the Netherlands, which had sparked hope of a Verstappen-esque comeback.
Last year, Verstappen was 104 points off the lead in the championship after the Dutch Grand Prix with nine races remaining in the season. He finished just two points behind Norris in the final standings.
Piastri and Norris had a spectacular battle late in the race. Getty Images
After Monza, there are 10 scheduled races remaining in the season, although doubt remains over the viability of the season-enders in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Given Norris’ turnaround in form, Croft said it was time for McLaren to start giving him preferential treatment over Piastri.
“I’m really sorry if anyone’s listening in Australia (who) thinks I’m having a pop at Oscar. I’m not. I think he’s a fine driver and I actually tipped him for the title this year right at the start,” Croft said.
“That isn’t going to happen – he’s 55 points behind his teammate. What were the McLaren drivers doing squabbling over fourth and fifth at the end of that race?
“Why aren’t McLaren seeing, like the rest of us, that Oscar is pretty much out of the title fight here, and if Lando is in the title fight, than they need to prioritise him and give him every opportunity to get as many points as possible.
“At one stage, I thought they were gaining on Max and Max might have been there for the taking for one or both. If they’d have worked in tandem a little bit, it could have been a better race for McLaren.
Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft believes McLaren should be preferencing Norris over Piastri. Getty
“As great as it was to see the overtaking on the last lap, did McLaren’s equality actually cost the points at the end, and should they be saying, ‘Look, sorry Oscar, for the rest of the season the only way we’re going to get anywhere near this championship is if we prioritise one driver’.
“I don’t like saying that, I’m just trying to be pragmatic.”
Practice for the Spanish Grand Prix begins on Friday night. The race gets underway at 11pm Sunday.