Sabotage at Monza against champion Lando Norris? Oscar Piastri speaks out

Some Formula 1 fans frowned when a braking error occurred during qualifying at Monza last week. This was because it happened to Oscar Piastri at the crucial moment. The battle for grid positions was in its final stages and the plan from the McLaren strategists was for the Australian to provide a slipstream for his team-mate Lando Norris, so that Norris could capitalise on the necessary speed advantage on the long straights.

However, this didn’t pan out, as the wheels of the MCL40 driven by the current seventh-placed driver in the World Championship locked up as early as the first corner, forcing him to swerve into the run-off area at the chicane. He was therefore forced to abort the lap, and Norris had to settle for the eighth-fastest time. Piastri had previously set the third-fastest lap with the help of the world champion. However, he had to start the Grand Prix from sixth on the grid the following day because he had previously got in Liam Lawson’s way.

Naturally, it didn’t take long for the theory to emerge that Piastri hadn’t ended up in the run-off area at the first corner entirely by accident. They saw it as proof that the Melbourne-born driver had immediately abandoned the lap, even though, in theory, he could still have helped Norris later on in the lap. In the Madrid paddock, Piastri admitted as much: “Yes, perhaps that might have been possible.”

Oscar Piastri defends himself: “That would have been asking a lot”

However, the 25-year-old was quick to add: “But when you lock up your wheels and can’t make the corner, your first priority is simply to get out of the way. But yes, looking back, I could have handled it differently. But in the heat of the moment, I think it’s asking a lot to expect someone to react differently.”

Piastri also pointed out that, as world champions, the McLaren team occupies the first pit, which is furthest from the pit lane exit – a disadvantage given the timing of the final attempt: “Of course, we could do things better next time. But we were also in a difficult position as far as our position in the pit lane was concerned. It was clear that we wouldn’t improve because we were the first cars to leave the pit lane. We’d already lost, so to speak, before we’d even started our laps.”

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