Zak Brown gets clear instructions after risking Norris and Piastri disaster at Monza
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's battles are the hottest topic in the paddock leaving the Italian Grand Prix.
McLaren should prioritise Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri for the remainder of the campaign, according to Express Sport readers. The latter has finished ahead of his team-mate in three of the past four races, taking invaluable points away from the Brit in his title fight with Max Verstappen.
Sunday’s race in Monza was a key flashpoint in the season. Norris held the lead at Turn One after starting on pole position, but Piastri fought back with a bold move around the outside at the Della Roggia chicane. From there, the young Australian held off the threat of his team-mate until the chequered flag dropped.
Had Piastri conceded his position to Norris during the closing stages when it became clear that the victory was out of reach, the title protagonist could have bagged another three points in his fight against Verstappen.
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The events at Monza have reignited the McLaren team orders debate. In a survey of 2,118 Express Sport readers, the answer was clear. 72 per cent of readers believe that it is time for Zak Brown and Andrea Stella to start giving preferential treatment to Norris.
As things stand, the gap between Norris and Verstappen stands at 62 points with eight races remaining and with Baku and Singapore both representing potential banana skins for Red Bull, McLaren have an opportunity to turn the knife heading into the final stretch of the season.
Asked whether he would have liked to see team orders in Monza, Norris said: “I mean, I would love it, but… it’s not up to me. It's tough because obviously, I think as any driver you don't want [team orders].
“You don't want things to just be played that way and yeah… it's a tough one. Obviously, I wouldn't say we’re running out of time, but time is going away slowly.
“I still believe that we can do it; you know the pace is obviously great. I still believe we probably had close to, if not the best car again today, so I don't know. It's not for me to decide.
“It's for the team. But I think we're still working together well and we're still helping one another and I think that's shown plenty of times this year that we're working together very well as a team and we're performing as the best team out on the grid and we're very happy with that.
“But yeah, I don't know – when you’re fighting for a championship, you want every little thing and I'm doing everything I can. The best way simply is just to win the race and I didn't do that today because of some silly things. So yeah, this is for the team, not for me.”
