McLaren to review driver rules after Norris and Piastri clash at Monza cost team ground on Verstappen

McLaren will review how it manages racing between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri after the two teammates clashed in the closing stages of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Sunday, with team principal Andrea Stella conceding the internal battle handed Max Verstappen an opportunity to pass both cars and take third place.

Piastri started sixth and Norris eighth in the 53-lap race. With fewer than five laps remaining, Norris moved to re-take fourth position from his teammate on the left-hand side, ran out of room, dipped two wheels on the grass, and immediately accused Piastri on the radio of pushing him off the circuit.

Stella said the team initially chose not to intervene, in keeping with its stated philosophy of allowing its drivers to race freely when they are on identical equipment. “The two cars were on the same tyres, same tyre age, same car, so we thought there was no need to interfere with the normal development of the race,” he said. “We let them race. We think that was the right thing to do.”

However, Stella acknowledged the incident warranted a closer look once the race had concluded. “The moment in which Lando put the wheels on the grass, he came on the radio, he made a comment like he pushed me off or something, but actually when we reviewed it, I think we saw that the episode is much more benign than what it might have looked in the heat of the moment,” he said.

“So, I think it’s something that certainly we will review and we will review in the context of this kind of racing, because I think you are right in highlighting that as soon as you fight with each other, then you may lose time. So, was there a better way for McLaren to give a fight to Verstappen? We will review.”

Verstappen ultimately passed both McLarens to finish third on the podium alongside George Russell and race winner Kimi Antonelli. Stella admitted the Red Bull driver had the pace to get through regardless. “I think overall Max was faster,” he conceded.

The review carries an added layer of significance given McLaren’s history at Monza. Twelve months ago, the team’s so-called papaya rules became a talking point when Piastri was instructed to move aside and allow Norris through during the same race. The dynamic between the two drivers has since grown more competitive, and Sunday’s incident suggests the team’s internal framework for managing that competition is once again under scrutiny.