Lando Norris Addresses Lack Of McLaren Team Call In Monza - 'Not Here To Beg'

Saajan Jogia | Sep 2, 2024

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; McLaren driver driver Lando Norris (GBR) in the pit lane during the practice session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

McLaren driver Lando Norris revealed that he had no intention to "beg" his team for orders to move ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri during the Italian Grand Prix, despite the potential to further close the gap to Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the Drivers' Standings.

Despite Norris securing pole position for the race at Monza, he was quickly overtaken by his teammate Piastri in a daring move in the first lap. The sudden pass caused the two drivers to battle each other for a short distance until Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took advantage of the situation and passed the British driver.

Eventually, Leclerc brought a home win for Ferrari, followed by Piastri and Norris in second and third. Norris believed that he had his third victory within reach, but a small mistake of letting the Australian driver slip by cost him the win.

Norris could have further shortened the current gap of 62 points to championship leader Max Verstappen if he had triumphed over Leclerc and Piastri. However, the race led to questions if McLaren would consider team orders for future Grands Prix considering there are eight more to go, and the first championship title for its leading driver seems within reach.

While no team orders were given at Monza, Norris told the media he didn't want to beg his team to go past his teammate. He told the media:

“Yeah, he [Piastri] helps me.

“But I'm not here just to beg for someone to let me pass. That's not why I'm here. I'm here to race. 

“He drove a better race than me, so I finished third, and that's where I deserved to finish.“

Adding further, the 24-year-old driver would have preferred McLaren to interfere in the race to let him gain more points, but it was up to the team to take the call. He 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.

“You know you don't want things to just be played that way. It's a tough one. Obviously, I wouldn't say we're running out of time, but time is going away slowly, and I still believe I still believe we can do it. 

“The pace is obviously great. I still believe we're probably close to, if not the best car again today. 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. 

“We're still helping one another and I think that showed 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.  

“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.“

With Red Bull losing ground rapidly as a result of balance problems on its RB20 F1 car, McLaren is soon expected to pass the Milton Keynes outfit in the Constructors' Championship, considering the present gap of eight points.