Lando Norris of Great Britain, driving for McLaren in the MCL38, expressed his certainty that he would have overtaken his Formula 1 teammate Oscar Piastri during the Australian Grand Prix, even without McLaren’s intervention through a team order. Norris had started the race in third place, two positions ahead of Piastri, and both drivers moved up in the early stages after Max Verstappen retired due to a brake issue. However, McLaren decided to pit Piastri ahead of Norris on Lap 9, resulting in the Australian driver emerging ahead after Norris made his pit stop. Despite this, Norris closed the gap rapidly on fresher tires and McLaren instructed Piastri to let his teammate pass in order to chase down Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. Norris, who ultimately finished third, believes that the outcome would have been the same regardless of the team’s involvement and expressed his gratitude to Piastri for making his task easier. McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella agreed with Norris, stating that Norris would have overtaken Piastri naturally, albeit with more time.
Both sides released a statement prior to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the opening event of the European season, announcing that the F1 world championship, now consisting of...
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