Once again, for the second year in a row, McLaren made yet another unforgettably perplexing decision at the Italian Grand Prix. Allow me to explain.
There is a reason why Monza is referred to as the “Temple of Speed”. It is a 5.793 km (3.600 miles) circuit consisting of long straights and sweeping turns. Drivers spend the majority of the 53-lap race on full throttle, which means that the average speed on the circuit is amongst the highest of the season. Max Verstappen’s pole position lap at Qualifying, for example, was 1 minute and 18.792 seconds, with an average speed of 264.682 km/h (164.466 mph), and is now the fastest lap in Formula One history.
Going really fast means that the tires degrade faster. Degrading tires usually leads to a pit stop or two. FIA rules mandate that two tire compounds (commonly referred to as soft, medium, hard, intermediate, and wet) be used over the course of a race, which means drivers must pit at least once. On a track like Monza, one stop is the ideal strategy, which can succeed depending on the timing, the duration, and the driver(s) that get undercut. Of course, if the Safety Car is dispatched, that gives drivers a significant advantage to get fresher tires, potentially gain a position (particularly if you’re within the top five or six track positions), and hold said place.
All drivers over the course of the race went for a one-stop strategy, some sooner than later. McLaren notably waited a while before calling their drivers in. Oscar Piastri, who was in third place at the time, boxed around Lap 45. His stop was nice, quick, and clean at 23 seconds. Lando Norris, in second place at the time, was pitted at Lap 46 - his stop, unfortunately, was a bit slow at 27 seconds.
Four seconds, in the world of Formula One, is awfully long, and it absolutely wrecked the pace Norris kept during the race as he dropped to third place, and Piastri was poised to finish the race in second place. It sucked for Norris, but hey, these things happen. However, McLaren then made the most ridiculous call of the season: Oscar Piastri, who had the position fair and square, was asked to switch places with Lando Norris. Not because the latter had a more competitive pace, but because of the slow pitting.
Mind you, Piastri is leading the Drivers' Championship, which technically makes him the first driver, and Norris, who is behind him in the rankings, the second driver. Imagine Red Bull asking Max Verstappen, who’s typically ahead, to switch positions with Yuki Tsunoda, the slower driver, for a multitude of reasons, or Aston Martin asking Fernando Alonso to give up his position for Lance Stroll.
It reads as ludicrous, doesn’t it?
Why should Piastri have to bear the burden of Norris’ pit stop? Make it make sense, McLaren. Verstappen’s reaction to the switcharoo summarizes what everyone, commentators included, was thinking:
McLaren should not manufacture positions to appease or pacify one driver at the cost of another due to a slow stop - it’s one of those organic and uncontrollable variables that can manifest at any time for any reason, or for no reason at all. There was literally no reason for the team to make that decision; they were already going to benefit from a 2-3 finish with both drivers finishing on the podium. What the team should have done is shrug and invoke Papaya Rules as they notoriously did at last year’s race.
The call left an awful taste in my mouth, if I’m being honest. I don’t appreciate McLaren arrogantly manipulating podium results to appease Norris. It’s almost as though they can’t handle the idea of him finishing second place in the Drivers’ Championship, even if the winning driver is another papaya-clad driver. But here’s the truth: last year, McLaren had their chance to secure a title for Norris, and they cast that aside in favour of letting the best man win… which only resulted in the British driver losing to Verstappen and Piastri coming off as an uncooperative teammate. Now that the Australian is poised to seize the title in 2025, the team is favoring Norris to a concerning degree.
I find it baffling that the same team that refuses to designate a “first driver, second driver” hierarchy of priority is trying to force a result in favor of one driver instead of letting the race unfold organically, and yes, that includes making peace with slow pit stops. The team order itself implies that McLaren has already prioritized Lando Norris as the first driver and Oscar Piastri as the second driver.
For the Tifosi’s sake, I was happy to see Max Verstappen triumph over McLaren, not after the rubbish they pulled over the radio. Their team orders meant that Lando Norris came in second and Oscar Piastri came in third… When it really should have been the other way around.
The next race takes place in the street circuit of Baku, Azerbaijan. Will McLaren double down on Papaya Rules, or will they let the racing naturally unfold? Only time and the race will tell.
