McLaren has addressed why the team elected not to tell Lando Norris to return the place he gained on Oscar Piastri with contact in Formula 1‘s Singapore Grand Prix.
Norris and Piastri banged wheels on the opening lap at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in a sequence that was decisive in determining which McLaren came home third.
Piastri had lined up ahead on the grid, but he lost out to his main championship rival when an opportunistic Norris dived down his inside and got ahead exiting Turn 3.
However, the change in position between the McLarens proved to be a contentious talking point as Norris clipped Piastri as he got past en route to bagging a podium.
The light touch prompted a heated Piastri to express his displeasure over the team radio and insinuate that McLaren should intervene to ensure the order is switched.
But despite an internal discussion taking place on the McLaren pit wall, Piastri was soon told that his team-mate would not be instructed to return the position to him.
Explaining the decision, McLaren boss Andrea Stella pinpointed that Norris’ action hadn’t been deliberate as initial contact with Max Verstappen had unsettled his car.
“In terms of having a contact between our two drivers, this contact is in reality a consequence of another racing situation that happened between Lando and Verstappen,” Stella told media including Motorsport Week post-race.
“So definitely because there was a contact itself this will lead, like I said before, to a review and some good conversations.
“But in the moment we thought that this contact was more a result of another racing situation, let’s say.”
Did McLaren set a precedent with Monza swap?
McLaren showcased the team’s preparedness to step in at Monza, with Piastri on that occasion letting Norris back past when a slow pitstop placed the Briton behind.
When quizzed on whether that call late in the Italian Grand Prix had set a precedent that inspired Piastri’s plea, Stella stated that the final decision rests with the team.
“Well obviously it’s within the power and the rights of the team to act should there be the case,” he added.
“So there’s been an assessment that we thought that there was no need to do so.”
READ MORE – Lando Norris unrepentant after contentious Oscar Piastri touch in F1 Singapore GP
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