The Italian Grand Prix 2025 was an unforgettable race for many reasons, but one moment that grabbed all the headlines was the pit-stop drama involving McLaren’s two star drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has finally broken his silence on the whole pit-stop mess, and trust me, the story behind that controversial team order swap is more complex than it seemed on the surface. So, let’s get into the details.
So, What Really Happened?
Let’s rewind a bit. The race was intense, with Max Verstappen dominating once again to take his third win of the season. But it was the battle behind him at Monza that had everyone on the edge of their seats. Norris and Piastri had been running second and third respectively, locked in a high-stakes duel that kept McLaren fans hopeful for a bigger result.
The plan was to keep them both on medium tires for most of the race, then switch to softs near the end to maximise their chances, especially if a late safety car or red flag shook things up.
Andrea Stella Breaks Silence
Here’s where the drama unfolded. The team decided to pit Piastri first, even though Norris was ahead on the track. The reason? McLaren was playing the long game. Andrea Stella explained that stopping Norris first would not have made much difference, even with a late pit stop, because the undercut advantage of fresh soft tires was enormous. The team wanted to keep their options open for those potential race-changing moments, like a red flag or a safety car, which could have put both McLarens in a prime position to snatch victory.
He said, “Today, when we started the pit stop sequencing, we started the sequencing pitting Oscar first, but with the clear intent that we would have not swapped the positions. Unfortunately, this compounded with the fact that we had a slow pit stop [for Norris].”
“Because we had the sequence with Oscar first and then the slow pit stop, we thought that the fair thing to do was to go back to the positions that we had before the pit stops. I’m sure Oscar will be very comfortable with this; he already was comfortable during the race.”
McLaren has a strict no team order policy, and Andrea Stella stressed their principles once again. He said, “We showed again the values and the principles we have at McLaren. Of course, we had Hungary, but after Hungary, we had so many conversations, so much alignment with each other as to how we go racing, so I don’t think we need to go so far back. I think we just stick and refer to the principles and the approach that we have in the way we go racing. I think it’s alright.”
As the 2025 season rolls on, one thing is clear: McLaren isn’t afraid to take risks. Oh, while the pit-stop mess up stirred the paddock and fanbase, it also reaffirmed McLaren’s hunger to fight for the top, no matter the hurdles. And that’s the kind of passion that keeps F1 thrilling race after race.
