Lando Norris has revised his opinion on his late-race battle with teammate Oscar Piastri during the Italian Grand Prix, deeming the driving ‘fair’ after initially expressing frustration. The two McLaren drivers were involved in a close fight for fourth place at Monza.
In the closing stages of the race, Norris attempted a move on Piastri into Turn 4. The manoeuvre resulted in Norris having to take to the grass, prompting a critical message over the team radio where he claimed he was pushed wide.
However, after the race and having reviewed the footage, Norris changed his assessment of the incident. He explained that the perception from within the cockpit at high speed can be misleading.
‘I think what he did was fair. It’s just when you’re in the moment and you’re half on the grass, you realise how quickly things can end pretty badly.’
Norris acknowledged that his initial reaction was a product of the heat of the moment. He ultimately passed Piastri on the final lap on the approach to the Ascari chicane to secure fourth position.
Piastri, who finished fifth, also considered the fight to be fair racing. The Australian described it as a tough but good battle, stating it was exciting and the best result the team could have achieved.
The result provided a solid points haul for McLaren at a circuit where they did not expect to be at their strongest. Norris had started the race from eighth on the grid, with Piastri starting sixth after a three-place grid penalty for impeding Liam Lawson in qualifying.
Despite the positive outcome, Norris noted that the team is still not where it needs to be on low-downforce circuits like Monza. The team had introduced a new rear wing specifically for the event to mitigate their straight-line speed deficit.
