Oscar Piastri has declared it "very important" that he and Lando Norris "protect" their McLaren colleagues, in the wake of his team-mate's costly slow pit stop at the Italian Grand Prix.
The poor pit stop saw the British driver fall behind Piastri late in the race at Monza, with the Woking-based squad subsequently intervening to instruct the 24-year-old to return the position.
Although initially reluctant, the Australian driver ultimately fell in line with the team orders and relinquished the place, a move that cost him a six-point swing in the F1 drivers' standings against Norris.
However, following the grand prix, he shared his opinion that it was the correct call, underlining the need to put himself "second" in that scenario.
"We've said many times that we don't want the chance of success just for this year," Piastri told media, including RacingNews365.
"There's a big regulation change next year – we don't know how competitive we're going to be, and we don't know how competitive anyone's going to be.
"Ultimately, we want the best chance at winning championships for as long as we're Formula 1 drivers, and we're both at McLaren for a very long time.
"Protecting the people around us that give us this opportunity is a very important thing. It's easy enough to put yourself second at times like that."
The nine-time grand prix winner highlighted that Norris had enjoyed the upper hand all afternoon, something that meant he had "no concern" in righting the wrong of his team-mate's misfortune.
Addressing the error by a pit crew member - who had failed to adequately secure Norris' front left tyre at the first time of asking - head-on, Piastri pointed out how it must have felt for them.
"If we were fighting very closely for the whole race, then it's slightly different, but Lando was ahead by a few seconds the whole race, so there's no concern for me with that," he explained.
"Again, we don't just want this year to fight for a championship; we want it for as long as possible.
"Protecting the people, that includes the people doing the pit stops... It's not a very nice feeling, I would imagine. It's important to protect all the people that we have because that's what gives us a championship hope for years to come."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look back on the Italian Grand Prix! Max Verstappen's dominant win is a lead discussion, as is whether McLaren has set a precedent with its controversial team orders.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Most read
In this article
Join the conversation!