Lando Norris complained on the radio after his intense duel with Oscar Piastri at Monza. Once out of his McLaren, the Briton ultimately revised his judgment.
Read more Lewis Hamilton calls for a major change at Ferrari after his incident with Leclerc
The battle between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri nearly turned disastrous in the final laps of the Italian Grand Prix. Engaged in a particularly intense fight for fourth place, the two McLaren drivers found themselves just centimeters away from a collision that could have been very costly for the British team.
At the moment, Norris was not pleased with his teammate’s defense. Forced to put part of his car on the grass, the reigning world champion immediately stated on the radio that Piastri had pushed him off the track.
But after reviewing the situation calmly, his stance changed radically.
Norris sent into the grass by Piastri
The incident happened in the final laps as the two McLarens were fighting for a spot on the podium steps.
Norris attacks his teammate approaching turn 4 and tries to get alongside him. Piastri defends his position and the Briton ends up partially on the grass at very high speed.
Norris manages to keep control of his car and falls back behind his teammate, but his reaction on the radio is immediate: according to him, Piastri pushed him off the track.
At over 300 km/h, the maneuver could indeed seem particularly impressive from the cockpit.
Once out of the car, however, Norris acknowledged that his initial perception did not necessarily correspond to reality.
“No, it was fine,” he finally admits.
“At 320 km/h, that’s the perception you have”
Norris still wants to review the footage precisely but no longer considers that Piastri crossed the line.
“I just need to look at things again. When you’re in the car, someone starts to open the gap slightly then comes straight back, you get that perception.”
Speed obviously makes it much harder to accurately judge the available space.
“That’s the perception you have when you’re driving at 200 miles per hour. That’s all.”
The Briton therefore clearly sides with his teammate after initially expressing his dissatisfaction.
“I think what he did was fine.”
A conclusion that mainly helps avoid a spectacular on-track duel turning into a new internal controversy at McLaren.
Read more Kimi Räikkönen’s son is about to join the Red Bull junior program
“Things can go very wrong very quickly”
However, Norris does not downplay the risk he felt in his cockpit.
With two wheels on the grass at such a high speed, a loss of control could have caused a major accident and ended the race for both McLarens.
“When you’re in the heat of the moment and find yourself halfway on the grass, you don’t realize how quickly things can go very wrong.”
This immediate impression largely explains his radio message.
“It was simply in the heat of the moment.”
Once the tension subsided, Norris prefers to remember the intense but fair nature of the confrontation.
“On that side, everything was fine and it was a great battle.”
Norris ultimately takes the advantage in the last lap
The duel between the two McLaren drivers did not end with this episode.
Piastri initially managed to keep his fourth position, but Norris came back in the final lap.
This time, the Briton found the opening approaching the Ascari chicane and took fourth place.
He thus finished the Grand Prix ahead of his teammate after a complicated race for McLaren.
After the wins secured in the previous two rounds, the British team did not find at Monza the level of performance that had allowed it to win. The characteristics of the Italian circuit, notably its long straights, suited the MCL40’s qualities much less.
A risky battle but ultimately without consequence
Fourth and fifth places still allow McLaren to leave with valuable points after a weekend where victory seemed out of reach.
Above all, the team can breathe after seeing its two drivers fight so hard in the final laps.
A slight touch could have turned a solid result into a real disaster and probably reignited questions about the freedom given to Norris and Piastri when they find themselves directly on track.
But the world champion refuses to fuel controversy afterward.
“It was a great battle and a good result after a tough race.”
Norris therefore went from frustration on the radio to a much more measured judgment after the finish. Despite an excursion into the grass that could have ended very badly, the Briton ultimately believes that Piastri did not cross the red line and prefers to remember their spectacular duel until the last lap.
Read more Charles Leclerc reveals vision problems after his huge crash in Monza