The ending of the 2024 Hungarian GP last month was controversial, owing to Lando Norris defying team orders that would go in favor of Oscar Piastri, for several laps. This reportedly created tensions between the two drivers, but Norris solved it with a simple conversation.
Norris insisted that the F1 community thought it was a bigger deal than the team did. In a Sky Sports interview, he said.
“People made it into a much bigger thing. It was a much quicker conversation between Andreas, myself… I mean, different people. Zak & myself, my manager & myself. It was pretty much a simple conversation. It was understood from both sides of the party and it was crucial that it was not a long process but a very quick one.”
“People made it into a much bigger thing, it was a much quicker conversation”
Lando Norris on his conversations with McLaren post-Hungary pic.twitter.com/ldJ7kfqGfl
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 2, 2024
McLaren could have avoided these conversations, had Piastri been given a preferential pit-stop before his second stint in Hungary. The Aussie was the fastest from the get-go and was leading the majority of the race. So McLaren realized that letting Norris win after they undercut him, would not leave a good taste in Piastri’s mouth.
Both Norris and Piastri admitted the issue was resolved. But, the debacle raised questions. Why McLaren did not prioritize Norris, who is their best hope for the Drivers’ Championship, was one of them.
At the same time, both Norris and McLaren knew that for the former to win the Title, he would need help from Piastri later on in this campaign.
Piastri’s role in Norris’ championship battle
Norris, despite a few underwhelming performances, is 78 points behind Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship. It is a gap that can be overturned in the 10 remaining races, and Norris will need the support of his entire team to win his first Title. Including Piastri’s.
Piastri could have to let go of race wins or podiums to let Norris get more points if the Bristol-born driver’s pursuit of Verstappen’s crown becomes stronger.
This is likely why Norris slowed down on the penultimate lap in Hungary, despite seemingly refusing to do so for over 10 laps.
