Why McLaren issued a team directive to Oscar Piastri during the F1 US GP

McLaren's team principal Andrea Stella has clarified the rationale behind the decision to have Oscar Piastri allow Lando Norris to overtake him during Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix.

Piastri and Norris occupied the fourth row on the starting grid at the Circuit of The Americas, unable to match the pace of the Mercedes, Red Bulls, and Ferraris in Q3.

Throughout the initial seven laps of the race, Piastri lost an average of one second per lap to the leader, Kimi Antonelli – specifically 0.997s on average, excluding the first lap – and found himself unable to keep pace with a struggling George Russell, who was pulling away by two tenths each lap.

Norris voiced his frustration over the radio, stating he was “being held up” by his teammate; McLaren then instructed the Australian to let his teammate pass, which he did at Turn 1 on lap eight. Norris subsequently pulled away, gaining four seconds in just seven laps.

“We had observed during the weekend that Lando had a slight edge over Oscar,” Stella explained. “This particular track suits Lando well, while Oscar faces a bit more difficulty here.

“This season, particularly for Oscar, is challenging because his strength lies in building pace; once he establishes a rhythm, he can consistently improve lap after lap. However, here, each lap varies significantly, which poses a challenge for Oscar and allows Lando to leverage his adaptability to changing conditions, especially when the car is sliding.

“Considering this context, we had agreed before the race that if Lando was behind Oscar and Oscar was unable to keep pace with the cars ahead, we could provide Lando with an opportunity to attempt to overtake those in front – and that’s exactly what we did.”

This situation was crucial for McLaren following the collision between their drivers in the Singapore sprint race. “It shows that as a team, alongside the drivers, we prioritize the team's interests, which has always been a focal point of our discussions,” Stella added.

“Especially after Singapore, we emphasized the importance of collectively assisting McLaren in reclaiming the position we aspire to have, which is for Oscar and Lando to qualify on the front row, competing for the win, and then managing the internal rivalry. Until that point, we must all work together to sustain McLaren's momentum back to the front.”