Close Call at Austria! Piastri and Norris' Near-Miss Discussed by Stella
Jun.30 - Despite their clash two weeks ago in Canada, the title-duelling McLaren duo managed a near-seamless and exciting wheel-to-wheel tussle for Austrian GP victory.
Pole sitter and eventual winner Lando Norris was repeatedly challenged by championship leader Oscar Piastri - including one particular near-miss.
"I'm proud of how Oscar and Lando handled the situation," team boss Andrea Stella, overseeing a policy of driver equality amid the so-called 'papaya rules' framework, said after the Austrian GP one-two.
"There was only one situation in turn four where it got tight," the Italian told Sky Deutschland.
"We sent a message to Oscar that it was a bit too tight. I'm also proud of Oscar for apologising for that action immediately after the chequered flag.
"That speaks volumes about the character of both of them and the sportsmanlike behaviour they both display."
Indeed, after Norris ran into Piastri's rear wheel in Canada and retired, he immediately apologised to his Australian teammate and team.
The incident resulted in what Norris admitted was an intense post-race debriefing. "The debriefing after Canada was about small incidents," Stella insists.
"It just shows that we can simply leave a little more distance between each other. We don't have to be 100 percent perfect, and we're still fast enough."
Such was McLaren's dominance at the weekend in Austria that Max Verstappen and his Red Bull bosses have all basically written off their ongoing title chances.
"The two McLarens showed that we are definitely the fastest cars," Stella admits.
Sunday also proved that Norris is able to bounce back from a setback, notwithstanding his paddock reputation for a weaker mentality compared to the unflappable Piastri.
"Not much has changed in Lando," Stella insisted. "In Monaco, he took the win from pole. What happened in Canada was unfortunate, but now he's taken pole and the win here."
As for Piastri, his championship lead over Norris is down to 15 points.
"I did my best," the Australian said. "Perhaps we pushed the limits too far at times, but it was fun, and that's what we're here for - to drive freely and fight for the win."
✅ Check out more posts with related topics:
Great to see a team and two virtually equal drivers racing in such a sportsmanlike manner, a refreshing change from the antics of Maxine and all her tantrums. Also great to see Ferrari and Sir Lewis steadily improving.
Brutal but true, you need two different teams at the front fighting for a win otherwise its just a procession, Max took his crash well and bar a yellow flag he could have been on front row , would he have won probably not but still a shame for the Max fans, as for Ferrari improving time will tell, SS next and it might be wet so that should be fun and games , expect the hype for Lulu winning again, but be ready for the excuses if he doesnt
✅ Checkout the latest 50 F1 Fans comments.