McLaren, Stella defends the exchange of positions between Norris and Piastri

It was not a strategy, but a pragmatic choice to avoid unnecessary waste of time. As Andrea Stella, team principal of McLaren, defended the decision to impose a Oscar piastri, Durante it Australian GP, to give way to the fastest Lando Norris. At that moment Piastri occupied third position, which he then handed over to his team mate without batting an eyelid. McLaren was unable to catch up with the Ferraris on the track, closing the GP at Albert Park with a highly positive team result, in third and fourth position.

No controversy, therefore, over the choice to ask Piastri to give up the podium position in his home GP. Norris was much faster and had a chance to put pressure on Leclerc.

“The exchange of positions was a natural choice – the words of Andrea Stella to RacingNews365 –. Norris' overtaking in Piastri would have happened anyway because Lando was much faster on fresh tyres. In Melbourne, whoever has fresher rubber has a huge advantage, we simply avoided an unnecessary internal fight or wasted time between our drivers. Our goal was to have newer tires in the second stint to close the gap to Leclerc. Unfortunately we didn't succeed because Ferrari was really very fast in Australia."