In what turned out to be a thrilling affair, Lando Norris got pole position at the Italian GP qualifying. However, the Briton once again fumbled the race start and soon had his teammate Oscar Piastri on his tail. Under the impression that his teammate would hold position, Norris was caught by surprise when he saw the Aussie attack him around the outside of Turn 4.
The duo got too close for comfort, and the Briton had to take evasive action. While that helped him avoid a potential race-ending contact, the move cost him dearly. Norris lost more speed than he should have and saw Charles Leclerc pass him as well at the exit of the second chicane. He failed to make any progress from that position for the rest of the race and finished P3.
As per Scott Mansell, that should be a cautionary tale for Norris going forward in the season. Mansell believes Piastri‘s move was too aggressive and should be an indication for Norris to “draw a line in the sand.” The fact that McLaren has thus far let their drivers race as equals should be another reason for the #4 driver to adopt a more ruthless approach going forward.
Speaking in a recent video on his YouTube channel Driver61, he said, “Oscar was more aggressive than I think it was right. And considering how Norris ultimately held back in Hungary, I would be rethinking my approach if I were him. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t let that happen again. I say to Piastri, ‘If you do that again, we’ll have a crash.'”
Papaya rules
And Oscar was in no mood to wait around #F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/6wnNtYF7QV
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 1, 2024
The incident in Monza should also open the eyes of the top brass at McLaren. The team missed out on a sure-shot win after securing a 1-2 in qualifying. Adamancy against issuing team orders can damage Norris’ bid for the drivers’ title. Meanwhile, with Ferrari also lurking 39 points behind Red Bull, the Woking outfit can’t be complacent in the constructors’ championship too.
What McLaren has going in its favor is a couple of upcoming fixtures. The doubleheader in Azerbaijan and Singapore are not the most favorable tracks for Red Bull. However, tracks like Mexico could put the Austrian team back among the race winners.
Then there are fixtures like Brazil, Austin, and Las Vegas, which can swing in any team’s favor, including Ferrari and Mercedes. In such an uncertain scenario, McLaren needs to optimize results wherever they can. Otherwise, a golden chance of winning the constructors’ championship for the first time after 1998 and the drivers’ championship after 2008 could go down begging.
