McLaren team boss Andrea Stella expressed confidence in Lando Norris’s willingness to relinquish the lead to his teammate Oscar Piastri during Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, despite Norris’s initial reluctance. Stella emphasized the importance of team unity and consequences for disregarding team orders.McLaren team boss Andrea Stella expressed confidence in Lando Norris’s willingness to relinquish the lead to his teammate Oscar Piastri during Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, despite Norris’s initial reluctance. Stella emphasized the importance of team unity and consequences for disregarding team orders. Norris had started the race from pole but lost the lead to Piastri, who maintained it until the second round of pit stops. McLaren then instructed Norris to pit first to defend their position against rivals. However, Piastri lost his advantage after his final stop, with Norris ahead, prompting the team to ask for a position swap. Tensions arose over the team radio before Norris complied with the order with three laps remaining. Piastri’s victory marked his first Formula 1 breakthrough, while Norris aims to improve upon his frequent second-place finishes. Stella highlighted that both drivers were given reminders of the team’s principles and values before the race, emphasizing that team interests prevail. Stella acknowledged that team values may conflict with a driver’s instincts, but they remain paramount. He also stressed that both drivers were currently on equal footing, potentially subject to review if the championship standings dictate otherwise. Stella expressed his belief that the team’s handling of the race fostered an ethos of honesty and fair play, encouraging drivers to prioritize the team’s success when necessary.
McLaren boss Andrea Stella said he had no doubts Lando Norris would hand over the lead to team-mate Oscar Piastri in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, despite the Briton’s apparent reluctance.
The Italian also made it clear that ignoring team orders would have serious consequences.
“I know Lando well enough… I know well enough that in Lando we have both the driver and the team player,” he told reporters after McLaren’s top-two finish at the Hungaroring.
“I would be very concerned if Lando hadn’t shown here ‘I’m a driver’, because that’s the impetus you need to fight hard. He showed the spirit of the driver,” said Stella.
Norris started from pole position on Sunday, but Piastri immediately took the lead and held it until the second round of pit stops, when McLaren brought Norris in first to defend the rivals behind him.
Piastri then lost his final stop, with Norris ahead of him, and the team asked to swap positions. The Briton eventually did so with three laps to go, after tensions had built up over the team radio.
With this victory, the 23-year-old Australian Piastri made his first breakthrough in Formula 1, in his second season. Norris was on the hunt for his second season and is also keen to shake off the reputation of finishing second more often.
Norris is the closest challenger to Red Bull’s championship leader Max Verstappen, albeit 76 points behind. Piastri is only fifth and 40 points behind.
Stella said the drivers had been reminded of the team’s principles and values before the race.
“The interests of the team come first. If you make a mistake in this, you cannot be part of the McLaren Formula 1 team,” Stella said.
The Italian, who worked with Michael Schumacher at Ferrari, acknowledged that while the team’s values may clash with a driver’s instincts, they are always the most important thing.
He also stressed that both drivers are still on an equal footing.
“I think when you have Oscar and Lando we are in a fortunate position that we don’t really have to decide who the number one driver is,” he said. “We race fairly and if one of the two drivers gets a result on merit, that is protected.
“Maybe we’ll review that if it’s the last few races and there’s a lot of interest in the championship for one of the two drivers, but I expect the other driver to come to me and say, ‘If you need my help… I’m available.’
“I think you build that ethos when you manage a race like today in an honest way, which I think we did.”
