The Italian Grand Prix sparked heated debate over McLaren’s pit strategy. In Monza, the team made an unusual call by bringing in Oscar Piastri first, followed by Lando Norris. Due to a slow pit stop, Norris rejoined behind Piastri. Shortly after, Piastri was instructed to give the position back to his teammate, raising questions about fairness and team priorities.
Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone was quick to comment, suggesting that McLaren is favoring Norris in the championship fight:
“McLaren often talks about fairness, but is it fair that Piastri pays the price for a team mistake? Asking him to give back the position after Norris lost time in the pits doesn’t seem right. It feels like McLaren wants to make Lando Norris world champion.”
Ecclestone emphasized that pit stop issues, engine failures, or suspension problems are part of the sport’s nature and argued that McLaren should have accepted the outcome rather than altering the order.
Max Verstappen, speaking to ServusTV, also shared his perspective, saying he wouldn’t comply in a similar situation: “I wouldn’t have done it. It’s not my problem, but that’s not how I would react.”
Meanwhile, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella defended the decision, explaining:
“Norris lost out due to a slow pit stop, and we wanted to correct that. For us, it’s a matter of principle.”
However, McLaren’s so-called “Papaya Rules”, which are said to govern internal fairness, appear less transparent than expected. Piastri himself voiced his confusion over the radio after the race: “We had discussed that slow pit stops are part of racing. What’s changed now? I don’t really understand.”
After the race, Piastri added in a calm but pointed tone:
“I’m sure we’ll talk about this again.”