Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports/Getty
Topics: Formula 1, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Marcus Chan
Topics: Formula 1, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Ex-Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill has had his say on the Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri saga.
On Sunday, during the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest, McLaren star Piastri secured his maiden F1 victory.
However, the way the Australian won the race was heavily discussed during the aftermath of the race.
Norris was leading the race after he pitted ahead of Piastri and managed to undercut his teammate to gain the lead.
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With a few laps left of the Grand Prix, Norris was told via the team radio to let Piastri through, who ended up finishing as the race winner.
Norris was visibly frustrated as he was spotted throwing his P2 cap onto the floor inside the cool-down room. The 24-year-old was also involved in what appeared to be an awkward exchange with Lewis Hamilton.
Commenting on the incident between the McLaren drivers, 1996 F1 world champion Hill wrote on social media: “The issue is not what was agreed before the race. The issue is that people pay to see a race. Not a display.
“It always leaves a bad taste. But in the next few hours, weeks, years, people will debate the rights and wrongs of this kind of thing. But remember Austria 2002.”
Back in 2002, during the Austrian Grand Prix, Ferrari told Rubens Barrichello to let Michael Schumacher through in the closing stages of the race, handing the German victory.
During the podium celebrations, Schumacher pushed Barrichello to the top step and even handed him the winner’s trophy.
In the end, the FIA handed Ferrari a fine of £800,000, half of which was suspended, for the fumbled podium celebration.
Speaking on Sunday after the race, Norris said: “I know what I'm going to do, I know what I'm not going to do. Of course, I'm going to question it and challenge it, and that's what I did.
“I was going to wait until the last lap, the last corner but then they said if there was a Safety Car all of a sudden then I couldn't let Oscar go through, it would have made me look like a bit of an idiot. Then I was like, 'yeah, it's a fair point'. And straight away I let him go.”
He added: “I know that I always was going to give it back unless they changed their mind on what they were saying and they didn't, so all good.
“I don't want to come across as the guy who is not fair. Oscar has done a lot for me in the past and helped me in many races.”