Oscar Piastri has stressed that his partnership with Lando Norris – and McLaren’s wider success – will never be sacrificed for short-term glory in F1, even in the heat of a title battle such as the one opposing the two contenders this season.
Piastri’s determination to draw a firm line in the sand underscores a maturing dynamic at the papaya squad, one that values sustained dominance over fleeting rivalries.
The Aussie’s stance comes in the wake of the Italian Grand Prix, where team orders saw him concede second place to Norris after a slow pit stop had dropped the Briton behind.
Though Piastri questioned the call over the radio, he obeyed and ultimately finished third, which trimmed his points lead to 31 with eight races left.
“Very good discussions” after Monza
Speaking to ESPN, Piastri revealed that constructive talks have already been held within McLaren after last Sunday’s race.
"We have had very good discussions this week about what went on and what can be made clearer, what can be improved," he explained.
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"That's always kind of a learning process, I guess. But yeah, ultimately I know that the team would have my best interests at heart.
"And ultimately, I want to protect that because I can't have my own success without the team having success. So protecting that is a very important thing for me.”
Ruthlessness? “Definitely not”
When asked last weekend in Monza whether he would consider a harder edge in his pursuit of the championship, Piastri was unequivocal.
“Not at the cost of future success. Definitely not,” he said, suggesting that preserving the integrity of McLaren’s operation will always outweigh a one-off result.
“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.
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"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."
After Piastri’s comments, Norris himself was quick to acknowledge the sentiment with a touch of praise: “That was beautiful. He said it well. I don't need to add any more.”
Read also:
Norris: 'Papaya Rules? We’ve never had them!'
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