Lando Norris Reflects on McLaren Team Orders Controversy: ‘I Was Silly and Stupid

Lando Norris confesses he acted "foolishly" and "stupidly" regarding the controversy over McLaren's team orders. Lando Norris candidly discusses a moment he isn't very proud of.

Lando Norris admitted that he made a mistake by postponing McLaren's team orders in Hungary before eventually allowing Oscar Piastri to overtake him.

Piastri secured his maiden Formula 1 victory last weekend, but the event was marred by internal team issues as race leader Norris disregarded his team's instructions for several laps.

In anticipation of this weekend's F1 Belgian Grand Prix, Norris has admitted his mistakes.

At Spa, where Crash.net is present in the paddock, Norris mentioned that he ought to have "let him pass immediately."

He remarked, "It was foolish of me not to do so, given that we are free to compete. I could have simply allowed him to pass and then still attempted to overtake and challenge him."

"It seems so straightforward now, but that thought never crossed my mind back then. Such a basic action, I could have easily taken."

"I was in a good flow, and everything was going smoothly then. I had some doubts and raised concerns with the team on several occasions."

"I realized right away that I would need to let him go once they placed me in front of him. I acted somewhat foolishly by not releasing him sooner."

Norris mentioned that both the team and he himself could have managed the situation in a somewhat different manner.

“We likely wouldn’t be discussing this now in various respects. Regardless of the narratives people concoct about the events and their assumptions of my actions or inactions… it doesn’t bother me.”

"The actions I took overshadowed Oscar's first Formula 1 race victory, and I'm not very proud of that."

"The thing that bothered me the most was having a 1-2 finish and it barely made the headlines. It was almost like no one talked about our 1-2 result at all."

"Besides that, we talked it over, and we agreed that both parties could have handled things a bit better and made some different choices."

Norris emphasized that he had no intention of outright disregarding the team directive or refusing to allow Piastri to overtake him.

"I realized that I had to release him," he stated.

"The more I delayed, since it really didn’t make a difference whether I released him immediately or later, the more people would doubt whether I would actually do it. That’s the key point."

"Many believe I wouldn't have taken that action. However, I was certain it was necessary, so their opinions didn't matter."

“I don’t need to watch it again; I realize that I should have allowed him to overtake me sooner. I might have still had an opportunity to win the race. That’s what my strategy should have been.”

He mentioned, "The moment they essentially instructed to 'let him through now,' I immediately allowed him to pass."

"It was never about ignoring or not paying attention. I always knew what I wanted and needed to do. I just let things drag on for too long."

Norris will not insist on being the top driver

By failing to secure victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix during a challenging weekend for Max Verstappen, Norris lost ground in the F1 championship race.

However, Norris asserted that it is not McLaren's duty to fully support him alone.

"That’s unrelated to what happened last week," he explained.

"I shouldn't have been leading the race, plain and simple. Oscar got ahead of me right from the start and managed it effectively. That's all there is to it."

"I shouldn't have been in the lead, and people shouldn't have gotten the idea that 'oh, the team isn't favoring Lando'."

"If Oscar had been in front for the entire race, there would be no justification for them to suddenly instruct him to allow me to overtake, especially considering the championship perspective."

"I'm unsure of the exact moment when being 10 or 15 points behind becomes significant. When do you reach out and ask for additional help or request someone to take on more tasks?"

"It's uncertain when that moment will come, and it's not up to me to decide."

"However, when Oscar has led and managed the race effectively, and they decided to call me in for a pit stop first as a precaution, it created a completely different impression."

"There’s no reason it should. We’re confident it doesn’t. Oscar earned the victory, straightforward as that."

McLaren does not designate a primary driver, a choice that became particularly noticeable amid the confusion at the Hungaroring.

Norris, currently holding the second position in the championship, will not insist that the team prioritize him.

“I haven’t earned it yet. I still need to go out and be faster than everyone else,” he stated.

"I believe nothing has shifted. I'm uncertain why this moment would introduce a preference for one over the other. Our team has never shown such bias. Although it may have appeared that way from an external perspective, and that perception is more common now, but…"

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