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<\/p>\nMONZA, Italy \u2014 For the second time in seven days, Lando Norris suffered an unexpected setback just a few miles from the finish line.<\/p>\n
One week ago at Zandvoort, an engine failure caused his McLaren car to lose all power, forcing him to retire from the Dutch Grand Prix. It cost him second place and significant ground in the 2025 Formula One championship fight, as his teammate and title rival, Oscar Piastri, took victory to pull 34 points clear in the standings.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, at the Italian GP, the consequences were less disastrous \u2014 but still galling. Again running second, but this time poised to finish ahead of Piastri, Norris suffered a slow pit stop after a McLaren mechanic failed to refit his front-left wheel on the first attempt. It cost only a handful of seconds, but it was enough to drop Norris behind Piastri into third place on the race track once Norris had emerged from the pits.<\/p>\n
Through no fault of his own, Norris was about to slip further back in the title race.<\/p>\n
But this time, McLaren could intervene. The team asked Piastri, who\u2019d been more than three seconds behind Norris before the stops, to give the place back. A big call to make given the context of the championship, with Piastri effectively giving up ground to his immediate rival. All in the name of fairness.<\/p>\n
Piastri obliged. He noted on the radio that a slow pit stop was \u201cpart of racing,\u201d but still gave up the position. It was a decision that, while abiding by McLaren\u2019s racing culture and emphasis on fairness, also led to a six-point swing in the title race. The gap is 31 points, not 37, going to the Azerbaijan GP on Sep. 21.<\/p>\n
Race leader Max Verstappen was surprised when he learned Norris was back ahead. \u201cHa ha! Just because they had a slow stop?\u201d he replied over his team radio.<\/p>\n
In the post-race news conference, Verstappen declined to answer a question asking what he would have done. \u201cI know that you guys want a fun answer on that, but it\u2019s not my problem,\u201d Verstappen said. But his radio message was enough of an answer.<\/p>\n
The very concept of one driver letting their championship rival overtake them all in the name of fairness seems strange in a broader sporting context. Undoubtedly, the call stung Piastri when it arrived, but upon the second request, he knew what to do and did it. And at no point did Norris ever doubt his teammate would follow the call.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to go against the team,\u201d Piastri said, sitting next to Verstappen in the post-race news conference room. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people to protect (at McLaren), and a culture to protect outside of just Lando and I. That\u2019s a very important thing going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
McLaren has always stressed the importance of its racing culture. It is trying to do something that has rarely been done before in F1, allowing its drivers to fight all-out for a championship without any explosive consequences.<\/p>\n
The team knows how badly that can go from F1 history \u2014 for proof, see Nico Rosberg versus Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes a decade ago or Alain Prost against Ayrton Senna at McLaren in the 1980s \u2014 but McLaren is convinced that, due to the individual characters at play now and its own values, it is possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever the championship goes, what\u2019s important is that the championship runs within the principles and the racing fairness we have at McLaren, and that we have created with our drivers,\u201d team principal Andrea Stella told reporters after the Monza race.<\/p>\n
McLaren\u2019s emphasis on racing fairness has been tested in the past. In Hungary last year, Norris gave up the win to Piastri after inadvertently being cycled into the lead during a pit stop phase, albeit after some considerable back-and-forth with his race engineer. Norris returned the favor in the Qatar sprint race much later in 2024 once his long-shot title battle against Verstappen had ended, letting Piastri pass just before they crossed the line.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Piastri temporarily leading Norris late in the 2025 Italian GP (Joe Portlock\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
But that was before they were championship rivals.<\/p>\n
This season, the racing rules at McLaren have been clear: Race hard, race fair and don\u2019t compromise the team. Talks have been held to go through various scenarios, while plans will also be made for the end of the year when one driver achieves their lifelong dream of becoming an F1 world champion, while the other will be left to digest the defeat.<\/p>\n
As Stella said, he learned from Hungary last year that the more scenarios you can cover, the fewer surprises there will be for the drivers and the team. That\u2019s why Norris said after the race on Sunday that he never doubted Piastri would give him the place back. \u201cIt\u2019s what we decided as a team, and it\u2019s what we all agreed upon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Piastri seemed to agree. \u201cWhen there\u2019s things outside a driver\u2019s control, there\u2019s a lot more ways you can rectify things,\u201d he said. \u201cSo it is a discussion we\u2019ve had. I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll review it and discuss more, but it wasn\u2019t a situation that had been discussed before.\u201d But he did note his radio message pointing out a slow stop is part of racing \u201ckind of says enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stella did make clear the decision had nothing to do with Norris\u2019 Dutch GP engine part failure. He explained that McLaren wanted to wait a long time before pitting after Verstappen had come in from a long way ahead, if a safety car or red flag could help beat the quicker Red Bull. Pitting Piastri first was to cover off Ferrari\u2019s Charles Leclerc, who had pitted before Verstappen. That gave Piastri the undercut, but this wasn\u2019t powerful enough alone to leapfrog Norris with the front left wheel issue.<\/p>\n
Piastri and Norris understand McLaren\u2019s culture and policy. They\u2019re both tied to long-term contracts and want to contend for championships for years to come. Blowing up their own relationship and causing fractures within the team by defying any orders for the sake of this year\u2019s title is not on their minds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team is the priority,\u201d Norris said. \u201cThe team is number one, and drivers are second.\u201d Piastri claimed he wouldn\u2019t regret the decision to let Norris pass even if it ended up costing him the title later down the line. \u201cWhoever wins the championship wants to have won it as much as they can through their own performances and things that they can control,\u201d he said. \u201cThat wasn\u2019t one of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n
McLaren has promised to review the situation, but one thing both the drivers and Stella were eager to avoid was getting caught up in hypotheticals and what-ifs that suggest the precedent set on Sunday at Monza could lead to future issues, especially when the team secures the constructors\u2019 championship soon, which would reduce the stakes for everyone involved regarding the big trophy and staff bonuses. Norris was dismissive when asked if they would ever surrender positions to a rival team to rebalance a teammate situation like at Monza.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery situation is different,\u201d Norris said. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty stupid just to assume that kind of thing and just say that\u2019s the precedent you set. We\u2019re not idiots. We have plans for different things.\u201d<\/p>\n
McLaren\u2019s commitment to its racing values is admirable. To have made it this deep into one of the closest title fights in recent years without any major points of tension or drama \u2014 the biggest being Norris running into Piastri\u2019s rear in Canada \u2014 deserves credit. Again at Monza, despite the inevitable discomfort, it emerged unscathed, its values and integrity intact.<\/p>\n
Greater tests may still be to come. As it goes through the review process of what happened on Sunday and talks with its drivers, McLaren must be braced for more instances when, as the championship comes increasingly into view for one of the drivers, being a team player could come a greater personal cost than three world championship points, as it did for Piastri today.<\/p>\n
Sport is rarely fair. McLaren\u2019s efforts to make it so, for the sake of its drivers and its team, must be applauded. But this latest flashpoint does serve as yet another shift in the dynamic of this year\u2019s title race, particularly if the margins do narrow and set up a showdown in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n
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