Oscar Piastri laughs off awkward McLaren team orders question with Lando Norris joke

Oscar Piastri has shrugged off the idea he will assist Lando Norris in winning the Monaco Grand Prix, with the McLaren pair embroiled in a F1 drivers' championship fight.

Heading into the race around the streets of Monte Carlo, the Australian leads his team-mate in the standings by 13 points.

Having qualified third at the principality with Norris on pole and home hero Charles Leclerc between them, the 24-year-old played down the suggestion he could "sacrifice" himself in order for the British driver to triumph at the Circuit de Monaco.

If the top three finish the race as they start, the six-time grand prix winner's lead would be trimmed to just three points.

Cross the line any lower than fourth, whilst Norris wins, Piastri will head to the Spanish Grand Prix trailing his team-mate.

With two pit stops mandated at Monaco for the first time, pole position is not being considered as strong an advantage as it usually is at F1's crown jewel.

It is a new reality for McLaren and Norris to acquiesce with - and is also what prompted Piastri being asked if he would play the ultimate team game in the grand prix, despite the certainty it would negatively affect his own title aspirations.

After a long pause, Piastri laughed, seemingly unsure as how to best tackle the question, before landing on deflective humour.

"How much are you going to pay me?," he said to Norris in front of the media present, including RacingNews365.

The 25-year-old replied: "Charles [Leclerc] just told me he would help Lewis [Hamilton] get the win.

At which point, Piastri addressed the situation in a more serious manner, responding to the initial question: "I mean, I want to win the race too.

"So let’s see what happens. I think it’s going to be a pretty chaotic race, but we’ll see what happens."