McLaren chief reveals what team told Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in private meeting before Hungarian GP saga

McLaren chief Andrea Stella has revealed what both drivers were told before tense radio messages saw Lando Norris eventually let Oscar Piastri through to win the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Piastri took his first Grand Prix win in only his second season in Formula 1, leading home a McLaren one-two with Norris ahead of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes in Budapest.

Charles Leclerc ended up fourth for Ferrari, while World Champion Max Verstappen endured a difficult afternoon in his Red Bull to finish fifth, just ahead of the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.

Sergio Perez finished seventh in the second Red Bull, ahead of George Russell's Mercedes, while RB's Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll's Aston Martin rounded off the points in ninth and tenth respectively.

Piastri took the lead at the start despite starting second, getting past team-mate Norris after the pair went into the first corner with Verstappen, the latter of whom ended up going off the track.

For the second round of pit stops as the race neared its climax, McLaren opted to pit Norris first to cover off Hamilton.

It meant that Norris undercut Piastri when the Australian made his final stop, and the former was ordered by the team to switch positions with his team-mate in due course.

However, it was something that Norris did not immediately do, with multiple tense radio messages going back and forth between him and race engineer Will Joseph as the latter urged his driver to follow the order.

Norris eventually relented with two laps remaining, as Piastri won his first Grand Prix and became the seventh different driver to win a race this season.

The one-two saw McLaren overtake Ferrari to second in the Constructors' Championship and reduce Red Bull's lead to 51 points, with Norris now 76 points behind Verstappen in the Drivers' Championship.

Norris was no doubt reluctant to swap positions over letting a race win pass him by, but also meant his gains on Verstappen were not what they might have been if he had won.

But after the race, McLaren team principal Stella explained that a pre-race meeting emphasised to both drivers that nobody can win on their own and the team triumphs as one.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Stella said: "There’s an entire approach to racing that we have with our team and drivers.

"None of us can go alone" 🧡

Andrea Stella is proud of the McLaren teamwork 🤜🤛 pic.twitter.com/MazPr5Yui0

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 21, 2024

"We are in this trajectory together. None of us – the team, Lando or Oscar – can go alone. That’s the message that we discussed on Sunday morning.

"With racing drivers you need to refresh this message. That’s why we have this meeting every Sunday.

"We are extremely pleased by how our drivers are supporting the trajectory of McLaren which is incredible. For me, that’s the news today.

"We can talk a little more about Lando and Oscar, but the message is there is a P1-2 in qualifying and a P1-P2 in the race. That’s incredible and I would like to thank and praise all the work of the men and women at McLaren for making this possible."

The F1 season's final race before the summer break takes place next weekend at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.