McLaren asked drivers to defy team orders after the final lap of the F1 Grand Prix in Qatar, with Lando Norris asked to hold out.
For the F1 Qatar GP, Norris received another team order from McLaren when he was asked to stay behind Oscar Piastri. The Briton debated the matter on the radio, citing his speed advantage, but was ultimately asked to hold his position.
He closed in on Piastri but remained in third place, securing 2:3 for McLaren. Driver and team principal Andrea Stella downplayed the team orders situation. In fact, the Italian revealed his F1 team’s protocols in the event of a problem with the team’s orders.
They called on drivers to challenge them with legitimate arguments. However, if the arguments are not strong enough, the driver must follow the team’s instructions. This was also the case at the Qatar Grand Prix, where Norris first raised doubts about the team.
Stella also explained that he did not want to create any drama where the drivers would fight or fight for position as there was a risk of tire damage. “The messages you hear are part of our procedure, because when we give instructions to our drivers, we want to make sure we understand your point of view, so we challenge drivers to Because we are demanding it,” he said. /p>
“Feel free to try. Tell us exactly what you think. We will check the situation and get back to you. However, when we come back, please respect it and let us know what you think. And that’s exactly what happened in the race, and that’s why we get the feedback. We give the drivers a challenge. The drivers were very close to each other all weekend, and the difference between them was tens of minutes. It was within.
“They were close again in the race. This was a big result for McLaren, Lando went from 10th to the podium, and I think Lando was 4th in 2021, but with a few laps to go he got a puncture. It’s getting to the point where you have to remember that he was hit by a 40-year-old, and he ended up finishing 9th.
“I mean, you just don’t want to take that risk. You don’t want your driver to push and get a distance limit penalty, or use a curb as soon as you tell them to push. That’s What? “It makes the route a lot faster. We recommend you think about pulling it home off the curb.” Both drivers are well aware of it, and Rand is very I was satisfied.
“He was very polite to the team during the laps, so it’s a strength that he helped our driver deal with the situation positively and constructively,” McLaren F1 Responsibility and the driver concluded. Everyone was happy with the result, closing the gap on Aston Martin and further cementing their place in the championship.
In fact, in either case, Piastri could have been asked to give up at some point. “To be honest, I was a little surprised,” he said. “I would have accepted it either way. But obviously there were a lot of concerns about the tires, the limitations of the track, etc. Well, I think finishing second and third was most important for the team.”< /p>
Meanwhile, Norris was unsure whether he would have finished second even if McLaren had allowed him to race. “Every time I got a little closer to Oscar, I had a really hard time with the dirty air,” he said. “Even if you’re a latecomer, if you go under 3 seconds, you’ll quickly lose time.
“It’s a track where the load is very important, and in the long corners, once you get into the dirty air, it becomes very difficult.” So I think my pace was definitely a little better. But it’s hard to know. I mean, Oscar did a really good job this weekend. he hit me He was very fast, made few mistakes and won. So, hats off to him as well,” Norris summed up.
Here’s McLaren drivers on extreme heat
Here’s how F1 Qatar GP panned out
