Max Verstappen’s telling response to McLaren’s Italian GP team orders
"Max Verstappen would never have done that."
Baffled by McLaren’s team orders at Monza over a “slow stop”, Max Verstappen made clear his feelings on such an order with Timo Glock saying the reigning World Champion would “never have done that”.
McLaren raised eyebrows at the Italian Grand Prix when the team asked Oscar Piastri to give second place back to Norris after he lost it during a slow pit stop.
‘Max Verstappen would never have done that’
Although Piastri was running behind Norris as the teammates fought over second place behind Verstappen, it was the Australian who pitted first after Norris gave the go-ahead, told by his race engineer Will Joseph that there would “be no undercut”.
There wouldn’t have been an undercut were it not for a slow pit stop for Norris.
Pitting the lap after his teammate, an issue with tightening the wheel nut on his front left tyre meant Norris was stationary for four seconds and rejoined the action behind his teammate.
Piastri was ordered to give the position back and briefly argued his case, saying: “I mean, we said that a slow pit stop was part of racing, so I don’t really get what’s changed here. But if you really want me to do it, I’ll do it.”
He relented and moved over for Norris to regain second place on the track.
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Verstappen, leading the race, was informed about what was happening behind him by his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.
Lambiase: “Norris and Piastri have swapped places, Max.”
Verstappen: “Ha! Just because he had a slow stop?”
Lambiase: “It’s not our business, but I guess it keeps it fair between the drivers in terms of the championship. You focus on the road ahead as well, please.”
The Dutchman was asked about his reaction when he faced the media in the post-race FIA press conference.
“I know you guys want a fun answer on that,” he said, “but it’s not my problem. Again, not my problem.
“It’s better not to talk about it.”
But even if the Red Bull driver doesn’t want to talk about it, his reaction to Lambiase caught the eye as it all but made his position clear if he were ever to find himself in a similar situation.
Speaking to Sky Deutschland, former F1 driver Timo Glock summed it up: “Verstappen would never have done that.”
The German, however, felt McLaren’s response to the slow pit stop, which was no fault of Norris’, was “fair” but warned the team be “careful, because that can very quickly end in a difficult situation. Especially if something happens again at the next race.”
He hopes it doesn’t come back to bite Piastri, whose lead in the Drivers’ standings was reduced to 31 points at Monza.
“He implemented it very quickly and changed immediately,” added Glock. “I hope he won’t remember it again at the end of the season.
“You want McLaren to decide that on the track between the drivers purely in terms of performance. And not that a team mistake could decide this World Championship in the end.”
Piastri was asked about that in the FIA press conference and whether he would regret his decision to obey if it ultimately cost him the title.
“I think today, it was a fair decision,” he insisted.
“Lando was ahead the whole race and again, it wasn’t through any fault of his own. So I think for me, that’s fine. Ultimately, whoever wins the championship wants to have won it as much as they can through their own performances and things that they can control, and today, that wasn’t one of those things.
“We’ve said many, many times now that we don’t want the chance of success just for this year. There’s a big regulation change next year, we don’t know how competitive we’re going to be. We don’t know how competitive anyone’s going to be.
“But, ultimately, we want the best chance at winning championships for as long as we’re Formula 1 drivers, and we’re both at McLaren for a very long time, and protecting the people around us that give us this opportunity is a very important thing.
“I think it’s easy enough to put yourself second at times like that.”
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