Lando Norris claims Oscar Piastri’s move to steal race lead was ‘too close for comfort’ at Italian GP

Lando Norris felt nervous about Oscar Piastri's bold move at the start of the Italian GP which forced him down to P3.

Lando Norris claims Oscar Piastri’s move to steal race lead was ‘too close for comfort’ at Italian GP

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (images via IMAGO)

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri started the Italian GP from the front row. Despite starting from pole, Norris lost several positions by the end of the first lap, dropping to third, while Piastri maintained the lead. Although McLaren’s front-row start suggested a strong race for them, the outcome was different by the end of the 53-lap race.

After the race start, Lando Norris fell behind his teammate Oscar Piastri and rival Charles Leclerc. Leclerc moved into P2, pushing Norris down to third place. When Piastri attempted an overtake, the Briton was a bit surprised by how close he came to him. He felt that the Australian’s move was way too aggressive that could’ve led the race in a different condition.

I was a little bit surprised by Oscar's move. I feel it got a bit too close for comfort.
Lando Norris said.
YouTube video

Lando Norris explained that Piastri’s move made him nervous, leading him to brake earlier than usual. He felt that if he had braked even slightly later, they might have collided, losing significant positions and points to the drivers behind. Despite this, Norris praised both Piastri and Charles Leclerc for their impressive performance at the Italian GP.

FS Video

If I braked 1 or 2 meters later. Oscar drove a good race and so did Charles.

Lando Norris added.
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Zak Brown reveals the message to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri before front-row start

Zak Brown was asked about the close racing between their drivers during the second chicane of the Italian GP. He advised his drivers to avoid making contact with each other during the race. Brown said it was a good, hard-fought race and this kind of racing happens when the team has two top drivers. The 52-year-old reckoned that the racing between Norris and Piastri was clean and fair, but the results didn’t turn out well.

Zak Brown (via IMAGO)
Zak Brown (via IMAGO)
Just don't touch. It was good hard racing. That is what happens when you have two number 1's and it was clean.
Zak Brown stated.

Despite qualifying on pole, McLaren couldn’t turn it into a victory. However, Oscar Piastri secured second place, and Lando Norris finished third. This earned the team valuable points and narrowed the gap in the Constructors’ Championship to just 8 points.

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