F1 Pundit Insists McLaren Avoided ‘Mistrust’ for Lando Norris with Italian GP team orders

Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft explained how McLaren managed to maintain Lando Norris’s trust after the driver swap drama at Monza.

F1 Pundit Insists McLaren Avoided ‘Mistrust’ for Lando Norris with Italian GP team orders

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (via IMAGO)

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McLaren has been at the center of the spotlight since the driver swap fiasco at the Italian GP. Woking had to intervene and demand that Oscar Piastri give back the P2 spot to Lando Norris after the latter suffered from a botched pitstop. Piastri, despite leading the title and being in a dicey situation, accepted the demand and gave back the position. Now, F1 commentator, David Croft, has insisted on how the Papaya squad avoided bigger problems following the driver swap.

Oscar Piastri had declared that he would race his teammate hard this season and not make his life easier on the track. Piastri had lost a lot of running in the previous season, just because of the Papaya Rules, and could not fight for a P2 finish. As such, the team declared that it wouldn’t come in the driver’s way of fighting and let them battle it on the track. However, things played out differently in Monza, and McLaren suffered from a lot of backlash and negative comments following the driver swap.

Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri wasn’t much affected by the driver swap and left the weekend losing three points in his 34-point lead to Lando Norris. Piastri also noted that the entire championship battle between the teammates was a sensitive topic to discuss within the team, and was avoided.

David Croft recalled that Lando Norris was informed of not having a threat of being undercut by Oscar Piastri, despite pitting after the former. As such, if McLaren had not swapped the positions and put Norris at a disadvantage, then they would have created mistrust within the Briton’s mind. However, as depicted by the events, Piastri had to give up the spot, which avoided the problems altogether.

During the race, Lando was contacted on the radio to say ‘look, we’re going to pit Oscar. We think we need to pit Oscar first. Are you happy with that?’ He was. He was told there was no threat of the undercut, so his mind was put at ease. If McLaren were then not to swap the positions around, that to me would lead to a feeling of mistrust.

David Croft said, as reported by GPblog

David Croft reveals ‘agreement’ between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

McLaren did not intervene in any of the races so far, with the Italian GP being the only exception. Both drivers are maximizing points for the team perspective as they continue to ride off in the distance in the constructors’ championship. However, David Croft guessed that there must have been an unsaid agreement between the team and the drivers that caused the entire fiasco.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (via Getty)
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (via Getty)

David Croft revealed that there had to have been an agreement between the team and the two drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. While there has been no concrete evidence to support this fact, Crofty insisted that both drivers were determined to stick to the agreement and help each other on the track. This time, Piastri had the shorter end of the stick, but in the long term, he will have an upper hand on such decisions.

I think McLaren had a predetermined agreement between themselves and the drivers going into the race and it seems to me that they were determined to stick to that agreement.

David Croft said, as reported by GPblog

McLaren must work on this aspect of the team and intervene between the teammates fighting on the track. Although they must put the team first, both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris must give it their all on the track, and may the best driver win. The fans definitely want to see a fierce battle between the two and battle it out on the track until the very end of the season.

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