The air at Monza crackled with anticipation on September 7, 2025, as the Formula 1 paddock braced for another chapter in the fierce but respectful rivalry between McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The Italian Grand Prix, always a fan favorite for its blistering speeds and historic backdrop, delivered not just on-track drama but also a masterclass in sportsmanship and team strategy that left fans and pundits alike marveling at McLaren’s unique approach to intra-team competition.
From the outset, it was clear that this wasn’t going to be a straightforward race. Max Verstappen, the ever-formidable force from Red Bull Racing, had seized pole position with a record-breaking lap of 78.792 seconds around Monza’s 5.793-kilometre circuit—an average speed of 264.681 km/h, the fastest ever recorded in Formula 1 history. Verstappen’s headline-grabbing performance set the stage for a four-way battle for victory, with Norris and Piastri starting second and third, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc lurking in fourth, ready to pounce at any opportunity.
But as the race unfolded, the focus quickly shifted from Verstappen’s speed to the intriguing developments within the McLaren garage. The team, under the steady leadership of Andrea Stella, found themselves facing a dilemma that has tripped up many F1 outfits in the past: how to manage team orders fairly when both drivers are in the hunt for the championship.
For much of the race, Norris and Piastri ran nose-to-tail behind Verstappen, with Norris holding second and Piastri in third. McLaren opted for a bold strategy, running their cars longer before pitting. But in a move that raised eyebrows, the team decided to pit Piastri first rather than Norris—the usual convention is to give the lead driver priority. The reasoning? To protect Piastri from the undercut threat posed by Leclerc, who had pitted several laps earlier and was closing the gap on fresher tyres. At the time of the stop, Leclerc trailed Piastri by 28.5 seconds and was gaining at half a second per lap, with the typical Monza pit stop costing about 25 seconds. By the numbers, McLaren arguably had a few more laps in hand before needing to pit Piastri, but they chose to act early, perhaps wary of the unpredictable nature of racing at Monza.
The strategy, however, created a new problem. Norris’s subsequent pit stop was hampered by a slow wheel change, causing him to rejoin the track behind Piastri. Suddenly, the team’s carefully laid plans had unraveled, and the order between their two championship contenders had flipped. The radio crackled with tension as McLaren asked Piastri to let Norris back through to restore the original running order. Piastri, caught off guard, replied, “We said that a slow pit stop was part of racing, so I don’t really get what changed here. But I’ll do it.” True to his word, he complied, allowing Norris to retake second place on lap 49 of 53.
After the race, with adrenaline giving way to reflection, Piastri conceded that the team’s request was fair. “It’s something that we’ll discuss. We have discussed it before. Today was a fair request. Lando qualified ahead, was ahead the whole race, and lost that spot through no fault of his own. I said what I had to say on the radio. And once I got the second request, then I’m not going to go against the team.” Norris, for his part, was equally magnanimous: “If it was the other way around, I would have had to do it. It proves we’re a fair team, it’s why we’re the best team, just because others haven’t done that doesn’t mean they’re right. As a team we believe in our own ways, we do it our own way.”
Team principal Andrea Stella was unwavering in his defense of the decision. “The pit stop situation is not only a matter of fairness, it’s a matter of consistency with our principles. And however the championship goes, what’s important is that the championship runs within the principles and the racing values that we have at McLaren, and that we have created together with our drivers. The fact that we went first with Oscar, compounded by the slow pit stop of Lando, then led to a swap of positions. And we thought it was absolutely the right thing to go back to the situation pre-existing the pit stop, and then let the guys race. This is what we did, and this is what we think is in compliance with our principles.”
McLaren’s approach stands in stark contrast to the often cutthroat world of Formula 1, where team orders have historically led to bitter rivalries and public spats—think Hamilton and Rosberg at Mercedes, or Senna and Prost at McLaren. Yet, under Stella’s stewardship, the team has cultivated a culture of mutual respect and collective ambition. Both Norris and Piastri seem to have bought into this ethos, recognizing that their long-term prospects are best served by a united front. As Piastri put it, “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, and we don’t know how competitive anyone’s going to be. 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. Protecting the people around us that give us this opportunity is a very important thing. It’s easy enough to put yourself second at times like that.” Norris responded with a smile, “That was beautiful. He said it well. I don’t need to add any more.”
This wasn’t the only example of McLaren’s team-first mentality over the weekend. In qualifying, Piastri was asked to give Norris a slipstream—a so-called “tow”—to help him make it into the final shootout for pole position. Norris had made a costly mistake in Q2, locking up and running off track, leaving his place in Q3 in jeopardy. Piastri, already safely through, could have easily declined, as Norris’s elimination would have given him a significant boost in the championship. Instead, he agreed without hesitation, ensuring both McLarens started near the front. “It’s a sign of how competitive the field was that his first lap left him exposed to being eliminated in 11th by what would have been an 0.018-second margin,” noted Fox Sports. “McLaren had one card left in its pocket. Piastri, who was already clearly through to Q3, was sent out to give Norris a slipstream to ensure the second McLaren car made it through too.”
As the dust settled at Monza, McLaren found themselves on the brink of another milestone. If they outscore Ferrari by nine points at the next Grand Prix in Azerbaijan, they will clinch the constructors’ championship with seven races to spare—a testament to how far the team has come since Stella took over in 2023. And while Verstappen’s record-breaking pole lap and Leclerc’s dogged pursuit of glory kept the Tifosi on their feet, it was the quiet dignity and unity of McLaren’s drivers that stole the spotlight.
With the championship battle delicately poised and the specter of major regulation changes looming, the Formula 1 world waits to see if McLaren’s racing principles will continue to deliver both results and respect. For now, the team’s unique brand of camaraderie and competitiveness has set a new standard for how title fights can—and perhaps should—be waged.
