Warning for McLaren after team orders incident: 'It will come to a head'
F1 News
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris secured their first one-two together as McLaren teammates, but some shine was taken off the positive result due to the team orders situation at the Hungarian Grand Prix. David Coulthard has warned McLaren and Andrea Stella that situations like this will continue to unfold with the team at the front of the Formula 1 grid.
McLaren have improved dramatically over the last 12 months. They regularly fight for pole positions and Grand Prix victories in the 2024 Formula 1 season. In Hungary, Piastri and Norris were leading one-two when the McLaren team opted to pit the British driver first and, therefore, gave him an undercut. McLaren wanted to swap the order back around, and Norris eventually obliged after some stern radio messages.
How the situation at McLaren will reach a crunch point
After the race, McLaren were pleased the situation eventually went according to plan. Team boss Andrea Stella explained that nobody in the team can go alone and how the drivers need to follow the team principles. But former F1 driver Coulthard has warned this mentality will eventually reach a crunch point as McLaren continues to be competitive.
“I just wonder if having all this sort of team nice, and we're all doing this together only works until it comes to the crunch point. Let's assume McLaren continue this amazing growth of how the team is performing. Let's say we're into next year, and it's basically Lando and Oscar trading victories. It's going to come to a head, and no amount of remember the team, no amount of listen to the instruction will get in the way of an absolute desire to be a champion," Coulthard warned Stella on his Formula For Success podcast.
Former team boss Eddie Jordan agreed with Coulthard. “There's absolutely no doubt it will come to a head. Piastri is, in my opinion, destined to be one of the greats of our sport going forward. Lando is one as well," Jordan said.
McLaren are currently chasing Red Bull in the Constructors Championship. Just 51 points separate the two teams, with one race remaining before the summer break.