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Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in Monza @RacePictures

'McLaren had a predetermined agreement between themselves and the drivers'

21:16, 13 Sep

byTobia Elia

Sky Sports commentator David Croft shared his thoughts on the position swap imposed by McLaren on Oscar Piastri in the Italian GP.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in Monza @RacePictures

''I think McLaren had a predetermined agreement between themselves and the drivers''

- David Croft

Did McLaren drivers stick to papaya rules in Monza?

Commenting on one of last week’s hottest talking points, Croft stated: ''I think McLaren had a predetermined agreement between themselves and the drivers going into the race and it seems to me that they were determined to stick to that agreement.''

''During the race, Lando was contacted on the radio to say 'look, we're going to pit Oscar. We think we need to pit Oscar first. Are you happy with that?' He was.''

''He was told there was no threat of the undercut, so his mind was put at ease. If McLaren were then not to swap the positions around, that to me would lead to a feeling of mistrust.''

''You're not going to trust the team that much if you're Lando Norris, if the positions aren't swapped around and you haven't earned that second place, which was rightfully yours, because up until the stage of the slow stop, you've done everything right and everything was going okay for you compared to your teammate.''

The British commentator believes McLaren made the right decision to preserve harmony within the team and between the drivers, particularly in regard to Norris.

''My feeling at the time was it was fair and Oscar said his part on the radio, made his points and then complied with the team as well. I didn't see either driver leaving Monza looking unhappy with the situation.''

''And that's what McLaren have got a guard against. They want both drivers to be feeling that when the chips are down, the team are there for them as best as they possibly can be. I don't see that either driver is going to feel any different.''

Piastri fails to extend the gap in the drivers' championship

While the Monza podium seemed set for a second and third place finish for the two McLarens behind race winner Oscar Piastri, the final laps—particularly around Lando Norris’s last pit stop—brought plenty of surprises.

The British driver, after a slow stop, rejoined behind his teammate, handing Piastri a golden opportunity to extend his championship lead to 37 points.

However, the pit wall immediately ordered him to give the position back to Norris, an instruction the Australian promptly followed.

As a result, instead of gaining three points, Piastri lost three, handing them to Norris, who now sits 31 points adrift in the standings with eight races remaining.