British media see clash of egos 'endangering the comradeship' at McLaren

Sky Sports:

Sky Sports emphasised the fact that McLaren and Norris have still gained ground on Red Bull and Verstappen in both championships. "McLaren, who has moved ahead of Ferrari into second in the Constructors' Championship, still took a significant haul of 27 points out of Red Bull's lead in the standings and are now just 51 points adrift with 11 races still to go in 2024. Norris, meanwhile, trims his deficit to Verstappen in the Drivers' Championship from 84 to 76 points." 

Sky, who own the rights to broadcast F1 in the UK, also stated that the late team orders call tinted Piastri's first Grand Prix victory. "The margin would have been seven points fewer had he (Norris) not ultimately heeded team orders. On a Hungaroring weekend where they have absolutely dominated the timesheet to underline their credentials as a serious threat to championship leaders Red Bull over the remainder of this season, a team orders row had appeared the last thing that was likely to overshadow McLaren's afternoon as they looked to close out their first one-two since the 2021 Italian GP."

The Sun: 

British tabloid paper, The Sun, highlighted Norris's extension of the gap to around six seconds when the team asked him to slow down. "It looked as though he had no intention of letting Piastri through despite persistent demands from his team. There must have been a sigh of relief from the McLaren pit wall when Norris finally let Piastri pass on the main straight." The newspaper also praised Norris for showing 'class after the race despite the tough loss. "After the race was through, Norris showed his class as he congratulated Piastri on his first F1 win."

BBC:

The BBC said Norris would've been in trouble if he ignored team boss Andrea Stella's stance. "McLaren was cautious in the timing - excessively so, some said - because Norris still had five seconds to play with. But team principal Andrea Stella said he preferred to reduce the impact of a potential delay at a pit stop and handle the situation within the team than risk losing track position. Stella is an intelligent and eloquent man, but also a tough one. A driver who did not accede to such a policy, he said, could find somewhere else to race."

The Guardian:

The Guardian chose to take a psychological stance on the controversy. "Mclaren took a one-two at the Hungaroring in a fascinating examination of the complexities at managing the fiercely competitive urges of drivers, of the needs of the team, of fairness, of whether a sense of comradeship might be engendered between the fierce clashing of egos across a garage."

The Daily Mail:

The Daily Mail analysed how Norris was even lucky to start the race: "There was drama before the race even started in a harbinger of things to come Norris reported problems with his throttle as he drove his car onto a grid of egg-drying heat. His mechanics frantically attended to the issue, one threading hands through the chassis to the clever parts hidden below."