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andrea stella says mclaren will review if team orders are the right thing

McLaren refused to implement 'brutal' team orders for the world title

4 September at 08:00
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  • Olly Darcy
  • Editor

McLaren have left themselves with more questions than answers after the Italian Grand Prix. What was meant to be another positive weekend after the domination at the Duch Grand Prix was anything but, as Lando Norris could not convert his pole position into a win, and the team orders confusion also continued as Oscar Piastri finished ahead of the title-challenging Norris. However, team principal Andrea Stella admits that team orders might have been possible if Charles Leclerc did not overtake Norris on lap 1.

Norris' race starts have been far from ideal in 2024, costing him race wins and vital points as he looks to close the gap to Max Verstappen in the drivers' standings. However, at Monza, his start was positive, holding his lead into the first chicane. However, going into the second chicane at the 'Temple of Speed', the Brit was caught napping by his teammate, allowing Piastri to pull off an audacious move and take the lead. That compromised Norris' line, and that allowed Leclerc to also take advantage and stay ahead of the Brit.

McLaren could have "played" with "variables" without Leclerc

After the chequered flag had fallen, team boss Stella spoke to the paddock, including GPblog, and said that the Leclerc overtake on lap one compromised the race plan and potential team orders: "Without Leclerc, I think Lando and Oscar would have been close enough that we could have played with some other variables, which does not necessarily mean, OK, now we swap positions. I don't think this is, or at least this wasn't, part of our agreements."

Stella and McLaren have come under a lot of scrutiny since the conclusion of the Grand Prix at Monza, with many pundits and fans wondering why Norris has not been favoured over Piastri already in an attempt to close the now 62-point gap to Verstappen and challenge for the drivers' title.

However, Stella continued by saying that the potential for McLaren to use team orders to aid Norris in the final eight races of the season will be discussed: "It looks a little brutal to ask a driver that is going to win a race, again on track, that you have to swap positions. But we will review all these things for the next races. And if we come to the conclusion together that swapping is the right thing to do, then we will do it."