‘Barely contained fury’: McLaren ‘feeling the heat’ amid Oscar Piastri’s ‘cardinal sin’

A scrappy race from Aussie F1 rookie Oscar Piastri has prompted a change at McLaren as his teammate starts to “feel the heat”.

Oscar Piastri is taking it up to Lando Norris. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

The honeymoon period for McLaren’s new pairing is over, with a shifting dynamic leading one former F1 driver to declare Lando Norris is “feeling the heat” from Oscar Piastri.

Norris finished eighth at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, while Piastri was 12th as several skirmishes cruelled his hopes of a top 10 points finish.

The Australian rookie made contact with Norris after he came out of the pits behind the Brit, although both were lucky to escape without major damage.

Watch every Practice, Qualifier & Race of The 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship Live and Ad-Break Free in racing on Kayo Sports. Join now and start streaming instantly >

Piastri’s other incident during the race with Hamilton, but the seven-time champion was clearly at fault and apologised after the race for causing an avoidable collision and forcing Piastri to pit for a new front wing.

Piastri was also given a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an overtaking advantage on Liam Lawson, who is filling in at AlphaTauri while Daniel Ricciardo is injured.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the Norris incident was “unacceptable”.

“There should never ever be contact between two McLaren cars. There was a contact, which doesn’t fit the way we go racing at McLaren,” he said.

“What is important is to have clear parameters as to what you deem acceptable and what you deem unacceptable. It’s not an emotion thing, it’s just like you do with other things.

The McLarens were close together at the Italian Grand Prix. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

“You deal with racing in a similar way. This is very clear that for any driver, there’s something bigger than them. It’s the team.

“Both drivers were aware that there must be no contact between two McLarens and it was just an issue with the execution — we all have issues with execution.”

The scolding was a noticeable change in tone from Stella, in a sign the dynamic in the McLaren garage is shifting as Piastri takes it up to Norris.

“Norris is definitely feeling the heat from a really good rookie this year,” former F1 driver Joylon Palmer told the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast.

“Piastri was at fault for their small touch but they got away with it and, thankfully for McLaren, they didn’t have damage – unlike the Piastri/Hamilton touch which was what ended Piastri’s chances of points today.

“So they got away with it from a team point of view and I think Norris is feeling some heat from Piastri, who’s doing a really good job, but I still think Lando has got the upper hand at McLaren.

“But compared to the last two years with the other Aussie in the car, Ricciardo, this is a very different prospect for Norris, who’s having to dig deep to beat his teammate.

“It’s always uncomfortable when you have a touch like that, but at least they can look at the end and think that it made no impact on the grand prix.”

Is it starting to get a bit tense at McLaren? (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

Speaking on the Pit Talk podcast, Speedcafe’s Mat Coch said the change in language coming out of McLaren was fascinating.

“He basically said it’s unacceptable for two McLaren drivers to ever make contact,” Coch said of Stella’s post race comments. “He wasn’t happy.”

“Andrea Stella is normally very placid, very relaxed. The way he was speaking … it was almost barely contained fury. It’s the cardinal sin in motorsport. You don’t come together with your teammate.

“It was fascinating to see they’ve gone from, ‘It’s fine, the guys are just racing hard, to no, you don’t do that here at McLaren’.

“It was almost light switch stuff versus what I’ve heard from Andrea in previous races.”

Fox Sports F1 writer Michael Lamonato said: “Oscar did seem at least briefly on team radio not happy to be undercut by his teammate again.’

Coch said Norris getting past Piastri “will have frustrated Oscar because he wants to win”.

“He’s impatient. He’s a racing driver. He’s perhaps a slightly more calm, less feisty Max Verstappen.

“He’s got that same hunger and as a result, he doesn’t want to give an inch. No racing driver does.”

It was a scrappy race for Oscar Piastri. (Photo by Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images).

Lamonato said Piastri was “arguably the quicker McLaren driver overall” at the Italian Grand Prix but had his “messiest weekend of the season”.

“I think you could certainly call it his scrappiest race.”

Speedcafe’s Ian Parkes agreed, saying it was his “worst weekend, certainly his worst grand prix of the season”.

Coch added: “He shouldn’t have had contact with Lando Norris. He shouldn’t have picked up the penalty from the battle with Liam Lawson. He was unlucky with Lewis Hamilton.

“There’s two incidents there Oscar probably should and could have avoided.

“Certainly not his best race of the year. You have to say it’s his worst race thus far. There were a couple of mistakes in the race that cost himself time and positions.”

Piastri is 12th in the drivers’ standings and will face a new challenge in the second half of his rookie season as F1 heads to circuits he has less experience driving at.

The F1 season continues at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday September September 17.