Norris adamant Piastri swap did not change result

Lando Norris is adamant he would have overtaken team-mate Oscar Piastri for third position at the Australian Grand Prix without McLaren’s team order intervention.

McLaren opted to issue a command to both drivers on lap 29 of the race at Melbourne's Albert Park to swap places, with home hero Piastri yielding third place to Norris.

Norris had been tucked in behind his team-mate for a number of laps before the order was given, after which Norris pulled away en route to his latest podium.

When asked if he had sympathy for Piastri, who missed out on a podium at his home race, Norris told media including RacingNews365: “It depends how you look at it.

“I was a lot quicker, and I would have overtaken him anyway. It's just you don't want to delay the process of that happening.

“The longer I spent behind him, the worse it was making my chance of catching Charles [Lecelrc] and trying to be ahead of Charles.

“I don't think the result changed at all.”

Norris hails Piastri teamwork

Norris scored McLaren’s first podium of the current F1 campaign, crossing the line behind the duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.

Piastri defended the decision after the race, insisting it was “completely fair” for the team to make.

With the result helping McLaren put further distance between itself and Mercedes in the constructors’ championship, Norris hailed Piastri’s teamwork.

“He made my life easier and I think he helped us as a team which I thank him for a lot,” he said. "We have a lot of respect for one another in these kind of situations.

“I don't think the result changed at all. But yeah, for any driver who's racing in front of their home fans, you want to be on the podium.

“So I don't think I would ever take anything away from that or for what Oscar has provided and helped for in the team. But I don't think the end result changed, no matter what.”