Oscar Piastri is happy to accept McLaren’s orders but not at any cost.
He is ready to comply with the team’s directives and help Lando Norris secure the F1 drivers’ championship this season, but not at any cost.
Following the implementation of team rules ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, Piastri’s decision to overtake pole-sitter Norris on the first lap and battle with him complicated matters and forced McLaren to take firm action.
Team principal Andrea Stella confirmed that McLaren would support Norris after the Italian GP. Currently, Norris is 52 points behind three-time F1 champion Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings, with a total of 180 points available across the remaining six grand prix and three sprint races.
After winning the race in Azerbaijan, which gave him an outside chance at the championship, Piastri acknowledged that Norris was in the best position for the title after his strong performance in Singapore a week later. The Australian driver is 94 points behind in the championship battle.
Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport about whether he is ready to face team orders during a grand prix, Piastri said, “The team wants to win both championships. If you have a chance to do that, you can’t let it slip away.”
“If I’m only thinking about myself, I don’t like the team giving me orders. No driver likes that. You want to prove you’re the fastest driver on the track for your pride.”
“Still, if asked, I will help Lando in the last races. He has a more realistic chance of winning the championship. But this isn’t a blank check. It has to make sense for me to let him by.”
Piastri also commented on how the Azerbaijan race demonstrated team play. He believes McLaren’s chances of winning the Constructors’ Championship for the first time since 1998 are realistic.
Since Verstappen’s recent victory in Barcelona, McLaren has caught up with Red Bull and is now 41 points ahead.
According to Piastri, team orders will only be meaningful if they do not put the team in jeopardy in any way.
“We also want to win the Constructors’ Championship, and sacrificing my race to help Lando won’t help us achieve that goal. So, we will make decisions based on the situation,” he stated.
Piastri also noted how Norris helped him by blocking Sergio Perez in Azerbaijan: “Baku showed how we do things at McLaren. If Lando hadn’t held up Perez after the first pit stop, I might not have won. He played a part in my victory.”
