The contact between McLaren drivers during the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix has not left team boss Andrea Stella cold, who says it is “unacceptable” for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to put their interests above those of the team.
On lap 24, Piastri was returning to the track after a pit stop and in the first chicane he was level with his teammate Norris, who had pitted earlier, in the battle for 10th place.
Piastri was on the inside track and clipped the side of Norris’ McLaren in the first chicane. Not a single car was significantly damaged and the contact was not penalized by the sports commissioners either.
However, the boss of McLaren did not like the fight. “There should never have been contact between the two McLaren cars. There was a contact that doesn’t fit into the way we race at McLaren,” said Stella.
“It is important to have clear parameters of what you consider acceptable and what is not acceptable. It’s not a matter of emotions, it’s the same as other things. You solve the race in a similar way. It is clear that there is something more to each pilot than themselves. It’s a team.”
According to Stella, McLaren does not necessarily need to react immediately to a collision.
“I have to evaluate it. Like all things, we will take it easy. There is nothing we need to do urgently. We will make the adjustments we need. It’s always treacherous when you come out of the pits. Especially on hard tires.
“It certainly could have been Oscar trying to figure out where he could line up to keep his position. But on cold tires it might have been a bit more difficult than he expected. We could conclude that this was just a bit of a miscalculation.
“Both drivers were aware that there could be no contact between the two McLarens and it was just a problem in execution.
“If the contact was caused by pressure being created due to the undercut (an earlier stop by Norris, editor’s note), then we have something to evaluate. Because it means the riders are putting the team at risk by putting themselves first. This is unacceptable.’
Just like Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur, whose drivers also fought together for third place during the race at Monza, Stella in McLaren also lets his pilots have a free hand during the fights.
“My role is to give them principles and clear boundaries within which they can race. That’s what we want to see. It was exciting to see Ferrari fight today,” adds Stella.
“As for how you stay within the boundaries, it’s not for us to say because we’re not riders. It’s actually within their power to say, ‘the tires are a bit cold, maybe I need to keep more distance’. They must realize that there is no way the line should be crossed.’
2023-09-03 20:13:46
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