Piastri told to let Norris past as Verstappen wins

McLaren's approach to racing in the title fight between their drivers sparked controversy as Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix for Red Bull.

McLaren ordered Oscar Piastri to cede second place to team-mate Lando Norris after a slow pit stop dropped the Briton behind the Australian after he had been running in second for most of the race.

McLaren unconventionally pitted Piastri before Norris as they left their pit stops late in the race in the hope of a safety car that could give them a chance to attack Verstappen.

But after Piastri had a clean stop on lap 45 with eight to go, when Norris stopped a lap later, a fault with a wheel gun delayed him, and his stop was four seconds longer than his team-mate's.

That put him behind Piastri, but the team ordered the championship leader to relinquish the position, arguing that it was "a bit like Hungary last year".

That was a reference to Norris letting Piastri by to take his first win after team strategy reversed their positions for tactical reasons.

Piastri said he disagreed but followed the order anyway.

There will be arguments that the situations were not comparable - and that a fault in the pits is just part of the twisting fortunes of racing.

The result cuts Piastri's lead over Norris by three points to 31 with eight races to go.

McLaren have been determined to keep the fight between their two drivers as fair as possible but their approach was always likely to lead to controversy at some point.

That was certainly the case at Monza, as they interfered after the sort of twist of fate that often turns driver's races.

Norris unquestionably deserved the second place on the balance of the race, but his pit stop problem left the team with an agonising quandary.

It is normal practice to pit the lead driver first in such a scenario but McLaren decided they wanted to pit Piastri first, saying they made the decision to ensure he was clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who had pitted earlier on a conventional strategy.

Norris questioned it when told of the decision, saying he was fine "as long as there was no undercut", which would be him being passed by Piastri going faster on his out lap. He was assured there would be no such thing.

Piastri's stop was faultless at 1.9 seconds but Norris's front right wheel gun had a problem and his stop was 5.9, so Piastri was in the lead when Norris re-emerged on to the track.

Piastri was immediately told to let Norris back past. His engineer Tom Stallard said: "Oscar, this is a bit like Hungary last year. We pitted in this order for team reasons. Please let Lando past and then you are free to race."

Piastri replied: "I mean, we said a slow pit stop was part of racing, so I don't really get what's changed here. But if you really want me to do it, then I'll do it."

After the race, Norris said: "Every now and again we make mistakes as a team. Today was one of them."

The point of view of both drivers is understandable, and it will be interesting to see how McLaren manage this in the increasing tension of a title fight.

A year ago, Verstappen called his car "a monster" as Red Bull's performance slumped while he tried to fight a rearguard title defence.

This year, they have generally not been competitive with McLaren, other than on high-speed tracks, so Monza gave them an opportunity.

Verstappen capitalised with a brilliant pole at all-time record pace, and dominated the race from the start.

Norris challenged at the start and Verstappen cut the first chicane to retain the lead. Red Bull ordered him to let Norris back past to avoid a penalty.

But Verstappen immediately attacked and was back past Norris with an overtaking move into the first chicane at the start of lap four.

The Dutchman, who had not won since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in May nine races ago, was flawless thereafter, pulling away from the McLarens and never looking under threat.

McLaren gambled on late stops in the hope they might catch a safety car that would give them a cheap pit stop and allow them to attack Verstappen on soft tyres at the end, but one never came.