McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has praised the growing maturity within the team following Oscar Piastri’s recent apology for a risky move against team-mate Lando Norris during the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix.
The papaya pair clashed once again in Spielberg, but Piastri managed to avoid contact, settling for second place behind his teammate.
Polesitter Norris led from the start, with Piastri closely trailing after overtaking Charles Leclerc at the race’s outset.
Piastri applied constant pressure, feinting several moves before finally attacking at Turn 3. However, he ran deep, allowing Norris to execute a perfectly timed switchback.
As the leader neared the pit stop window, the 24-year-old launched one final bold attempt to claim the race lead.
However, the move nearly ended in disaster —roles reversed from Canada — as Piastri locked up but this time, narrowly avoided another intra-team collision.
McLaren swiftly took to the radio to warn him that such aggressive moves must not be repeated.
Speaking about the specifics of Piastri’s Turn 4 effort, he said: “There was only one situation in which the two cars ended up a little too close, which was in corner four when Oscar locked up and he ended up very close to Lando.
Stella, however, praised both Piastri and the team for how the on-track battles were managed throughout Sunday’s race.
He added: “We gave Oscar this feedback and I want to acknowledge and once again say that I am proud of Oscar, because as soon as he crossed the finish line, he opened the radio and he said, ‘sorry for the situation in corner four. My bad. I know what I have to do’.”
“So I think it’s all very clear. I am so refreshed by how the team reviewed the situation in Canada, which was a benign situation.
“It was just a misjudgement and we have come out stronger and even more united from there.
Stella praises McLaren’s united approach to racing
For the most part, the McLaren boss commended both of his drivers for the way they raced at the Red Bull Ring.
“In terms of the battle between our two drivers, first of all I would like to say that I am very proud of how our two drivers raced today,” he stated.
“I think that’s pretty much exactly what we want to see as a McLaren Formula 1 team.
“We are here to race. We want to give our two drivers the possibility to express their talent, achieve their aspirations, but this needs to be done within the principles and the approach that we have contributed to build together with our drivers. And I think today that’s what happened.”
‘Papaya rules’ has been a key part of the ethos at the Woking-based outfit since Piastri arrived at the team, and its competitiveness has grown.
As Stella explained how tyre wear played a role in the incident, he emphasised McLaren’s collaborative approach to learning and improving from such moments.
The Italian explained: “I think the fact that Oscar acknowledged, and he said that he was sorry for that situation, means that he knew that, especially at that phase of the stint when your front tyres are quite aged, if you go for that gap, you may not be entirely in control of the car.
“You may lock up; so I think the issue that I saw there is that the tyres were locked. So I think that’s our interpretation, which I think coincides with the interpretation of Oscar.
“And from every situation, we will take the opportunity to review. We do it together. The conversations are always very good and constructive and we will fine-tune even more for the future.”
READ MORE – Oscar Piastri ‘pushed the limits a bit much’ in Austria F1 battle with Lando Norris
