McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella described the tow advantage Lando Norris briefly gained behind Oscar Piastri in qualifying at the 2025 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix as a “minor episode”.
The Australian racing driver secured his fourth pole of the season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, ahead of his papaya team-mate.
After the first flying laps, Norris briefly held provisional pole, benefiting from a slipstream behind Piastri on the pit straight.
The timing of their pit exits meant the Briton began his flying lap as the other McLaren driver was finishing his.
Piastri jokingly called the move ‘cheeky’ over team radio, but downplayed the tow’s significance after qualifying, insisting it was just a “coincidence”.
“I went out very early for the first run of Q3 and I think it was just a coincidence that Lando ended up behind me opening the lap,” he said in the post-qualifying Drivers’ Press Conference.
“Of course, when you cross the line to start your lap, it’s maybe not the nicest feeling, but we’ll discuss it.
“I mean, there’s nothing afterwards going on, unless Lando’s going to spill his master plan in the middle of the lap.”
Norris echoed the sentiment, adding with a laugh: “We planned it the whole weekend.
“No, I mean, I didn’t ask who was going out first, to be honest.
“It’s just, I’m going to try to get a slipstream, I think I was unlucky that it was Oscar, it was just a coincidence.
“I mean, I was 10th or something in the queue; I don’t know who I’m going to get a slipstream from because you’re waiting like two minutes in the pit lane.”
Stella downplays qualifying tow incident between McLaren pair
When asked for his verdict on the qualifying tow incident, McLaren chief Stella described it as a “relatively minor” episode.
“Managing Formula One drivers that compete for the same team on a fast car, and in a quest for the championship, is always going to be a difficult matter,” Stella told media including Motorsport Week.
“But so far we have approached it in a way that I think has allowed both drivers to express their qualities, their speed, and it’s been a relatively good run so far.
“The episode you refer to, I would consider that relatively minor.
“We will review internally whether there’s actually a case or not, and we know that when the drivers are in the car, they may not necessarily perceive exactly the situation.
“So definitely this is in the class of the minor episodes, but we always said with Lando and Oscar there may be a situation because it’s one of the difficult things, as you said, to manage internal competition.
“But I think we have a very strong foundation in our principles and in being lucky enough to have Oscar and Lando at the wheel.”
On Piastri’s team radio remark, Stella added: “The reason why he said that, I have to clarify with Oscar.
“We haven’t reviewed this case specifically, but I think he was referring to the fact that, because of the timing of leaving the garage, Lando found himself opening the lap behind Oscar, who was finishing the lap, and so he could benefit a little bit from the tow that Oscar might have offered.
“But obviously, because they are competing in Q3, for a position on the grid, [Piastri] immediately moved away.
“So actually, from a performance point of view, there wasn’t much advantage at all.”
READ MORE – Oscar Piastri storms to Spanish GP pole position in McLaren 1-2
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