Oscar Piastri reacts as McLaren position swap request denied at Silverstone

Oscar Piastri never expected to be allowed past Lando Norris under McLaren team orders at Silverstone.

But, the Championship leader does not believe he did “anything wrong” by making the request, after his 10-second penalty gifted a first home race victory to Norris.

Oscar Piastri’s McLaren team order request: Right or wrong?

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

McLaren were in a class of their own around Silverstone as heavy downpours before and in-race made for treacherous conditions, but while Piastri looked like the winner in-waiting for much of the race, it was Norris who took the chequered flag.

Piastri’s victory hopes went up in smoke when he received a 10-second penalty for erratic braking behind the Safety Car. As the lights went out to signal the impeding restart, Piastri hit the brakes as P2 Max Verstappen came sailing past, quickly giving the position back.

That penalty consigned Piastri to runner-up, the Australian crossing the line just under seven seconds behind Norris, but his penalty was not the only talking point. Also in the spotlight was Piastri’s request over team radio for McLaren to move him back ahead of Norris, out of fairness, after serving his penalty. The answer was no.

Piastri was quizzed on that team orders nudge in the post-race press conference, and said: “Yeah. I thought I would ask the question.

“I knew what the answer was going to be before I asked.

“But I just wanted a small glimmer of hope that maybe I could get it back. But no, I knew it wasn’t going to happen.”

More key British GP talking points from PlanetF1.com

? Data suggests Oscar Piastri got unlucky with Safety Car penalty

? British GP Cooldown Lap: Hulkenberg shocks in Lando Norris win

Asked if he was happy with how McLaren handled his request, and whether a turning point has been witnessed in his approach to the Championship, Piastri added: “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.

“Lando didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t think it would have been particularly fair to have swapped, but I thought I’d at least ask.

“It doesn’t change much for the Championship. I feel like I did a good job today. I did what I needed to. That’s all I need, and I will use the frustration to make sure I win some more races later.”

Piastri departs the British Grand Prix with his Drivers’ Championship lead still in-tact, but after back-to-back wins, Norris has reduced his team-mate’s buffer to just eight points with 12 rounds to go.

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