Oscar Piastri takes definitive stance on contentious McLaren team orders call

Oscar Piastri has stated that the instruction to relinquish second position to Lando Norris during the Italian Grand Prix was "ultimately" a "fair" call by McLaren.

The Australian did not agree with the Woking squad invoking team orders during the race at Monza, but has since fallen in line with the reigning F1 constructors' champion's public stance on the matter.

He was heard questioning the decision over team radio and refused to elaborate on those remarks during the post-race FIA press conference at the Temple of Speed.

The 24-year-old, having given the place back, finished third, behind Norris and runaway winner Max Verstappen, who put together a superb display in his Red Bull.

McLaren got itself into a mess during its pit stop phase, which came late in the race. After pitting Piastri - who was behind - first, at the suggestion of Norris, the British driver suffered a slow stop and emerged from the pits behind his team-mate.

It left the team relying on Piastri's cooperation in returning second to Norris. He duly complied, but it left a stain on the weekend - and highlighted the pitfalls of its dedication to parity and fairness.

It produced a six-point swing in the F1 drivers' standings, with the former now leading the latter by 31 points, not the 37 could have.

Reflecting on a difficult afternoon for McLaren, he highlighted the multiple learning points the papaya team can take from the round.

"A trickier day for us. There were quite a few learning points from the first part of the race and also towards the end," Piastri said on Sunday evening.

"It’s inherently quite a unique track, so there are some things that we can improve on for next year and other low-downforce tracks later in 2025."

Addressing the point of controversy head-on, the nine-time grand prix winner reiterated his stance that there will be conversations at McLaren over the episode.

"In terms of the call to swap, ultimately, it was fair," he said. "We have things to discuss, as we always do with these sorts of racing situations. It's now time to refocus ahead of Baku."