McLaren slapped with 'robbing' comparison following Monza controversy

In the name of “principles” and “racing values,” Oscar Piastri was ordered to hand second place back to Lando Norris, a call that was instantly flagged by personalities such as David Coulthard, who said McLaren were manipulating the world title, or former F1 Supremo, Bernie Ecclestone who said McLaren were Norris-biased in the title fight.

It all started in the pits. Piastri had been running behind his teammate, and McLaren promised Norris there would be “no undercut.” But a wheel nut problem left the British driver stationary for 5.9 seconds, four more than Piastri, and that was enough to flip the order. Out on track, the Australian was ahead.

And then came the message instructing Piastri to give back the place. After questioning the team order once, he was told again, and he dutifully moved aside. Norris then crossed the line in P2, Verstappen ahead, and Piastri sat two seconds back, with his championship lead cut back.

Former F1 driver Robert Doornbos didn’t mince his words. “It feels, as a fan, that you’re robbed,” he said on The Pit Talk Podcast.

“The worst situations we’ve ever seen was obviously Ferrari and in the Michael Schumacher era with Rubens Barrichello, driving his a** off in Austria.

“That was sad, because then the fans started booing because, what were they watching? [It was] like a theatre,” he said.

He even compared it directly to Austria 2002. “Just before the finish line, Michael gets the position and wins it, and then on the podium, he gives the first-place position again to Rubens. It was a mess, it was just bad publicity for F1.”

And now, he warns, McLaren risk the same fate. “Luckily we haven’t had that in recent years, but now McLaren is going in that way, because they’re trying to orchestrate it," he continued.

"What happens, in the next race, if there’s a slow stop for Oscar, but he’s two positions behind Lando in the race? Is Lando going to wait for him then to give the position back?”, the Dutchman pondered on an issue that Piastri and Norris had both replied negatively to after the race.

Monza will be remembered not only for Verstappen’s win, but for the boos the Italian crowd treated Norris to, as well. As F1 heads into Azerbaijan for the 17th round of the world championship, questions loom large on McLaren's racing approach, with the team seemingly sticking to its guns for the long haul.