Earlier this year in Monza and Hungary, when there were significantly more World Championship points at stake, McLaren refused to give Lando Norris preferential treatment over his teammate Oscar Piastri. However, in the São Paulo sprint race, team orders were followed to switch positions, allowing Norris to be gifted the victory and gain two points on championship leader Max Verstappen. “I’m not proud of it,” Norris admits.
For almost the entire race, he was looking at the new rear wing of Oscar Piastri. The Australian, who started from pole position, was the fastest man on the track. He had to keep an eye not only on what was ahead, but also what was behind. It was crucial for Norris to stay within DRS range, as Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen were hot on their heels. In the final stages, when a virtual safety car was deployed because Nico Hülkenberg had parked his defective car in a dangerous spot, Piastri graciously made way.
“I’m not proud of it,” Norris confesses, even though he accepts the gift. “I have to thank Oscar profusely, because he deserved the win today. But well, we did what we had to do, I’m proud of the whole team. It was difficult to overtake Oscar on speed. In the dirty air, you lose a lot of time here. But overall, the car felt good. We were faster than the guys behind us, we executed the plan perfectly.
