Overview

• McLaren instructed Oscar Piastri to yield second place to Lando Norris late in the Italian Grand Prix, and Piastri complied after a brief protest on team radio.
• The on-track order stemmed from strategy: McLaren pitted Piastri first to cover Charles Leclerc, then a slow stop for Norris put him behind before the team reversed the positions.
• The swap reduced Piastri’s championship advantage to 31 points instead of the 37 he would have held with a second-place finish.
• Team principal Andrea Stella defended the call as consistent with internal principles sometimes referred to as 'Papaya' rules, citing prior position swaps under similar agreements.
• Bernie Ecclestone questioned the fairness of penalizing Piastri for a team error and suggested McLaren favors Norris, as figures including Toto Wolff warned of a 'dangerous precedent,' while Piastri said there is actually no tension with his teammate.